The Protector
by dancingknight15
Summary: Determined not to leave Cairo until he reaches his mission, Seto Kaiba begins setting his new plans into action. Concerned about his own state of mind and about Muto's safety, he lies both to himself and to others. Will he be ensnared by his own lies?
1. Chapter 1

Since I like Seto Kaiba so much, I decided to write a fanfic centered around him. Why? Because he's awesome, of course! AU, with an attempt to keep in character despite radically different character dynamics...Hope you enjoy! This is my first fanfiction, so be nice :) Please R&R!

I woke up to my alarm clock beeping in an unusually high-pitched wail, echoing inside of my head. Damn that Mokuba, I thought, he must have changed the alarm setting again. I frowned and reached blindly for the annoying machine and missed. My irritation mounting, I grabbed the cord and pulled out the plug. That's better, I thought, starting to settle into my covers once more. My peace was short-lived, however. What seemed like seconds later, my little brother Mokuba burst into my bedroom.

"Onii-chan! It's time to get up!" he called out cheerfully.

"Go away. I didn't sleep much last night," I mumbled, placing a pillow over my head to shield my eyes from the bright sunlight streaming into the room. I heard my brother chuckle then proceed to open the shades even further. I groaned as more bright light hit my eyelids.

"Onii-chan! If you don't wake up soon, I'll tickle your ear!" he announced in a singsong voice.

"Ah! All right!" I growled, protecting my ears and sitting upright. I glared at the sunlight and at my bedroom—which was in the disheveled state I had left it last night—and turned to face Mokuba.

"We're gonna be late if you don't get up soon," he said with his usual loopy smile. I felt the irritation inside of me lessen as I watched that smile, but I made sure not to smile in return.

"Well, I'm up now. Can you get some coffee? I've got a major migraine already," I asked, rubbing my temples.

"Sure thing!" Mokuba replied, bouncing away. I allowed myself a small smile as I watched him go.

Why is he so happy in the mornings? I thought groggily, and dragged myself out of bed. As usual, I had been up late last night, making overseas investment deals. It was the only way I could keep going to school and bring in an income enough to support Mokuba and myself. Not that I thought school was a worthwhile use of my time, but Mokuba had insisted that I continue to go.

"You'll be able to make some friends and have fun!" he had said, back when I was deciding what to do following our stepfather's death. I remember having internally snorted at his optimism. After my childhood had been spent under strict, rigorous and at times humiliating study—training to become the next Kaiba Corporation CEO—the concept of fun, and especially friendship, was foreign to me. And I preferred it that way.

"Onii-chan! We've only got five minutes before we have to go!" Mokuba called out from the kitchen. I gulped down my coffee, feeling the caffeine hit my system.

"I'm ready," I called out, opening the door into the fresh spring morning. Mokuba rushed out the door beside me, breathing in the morning air. I ruffled his hair—much to his annoyance—and proceeded ahead.

"I'm not waiting for you," I declared, waiting for his usual whine.

"Onii-chan!" Mokuba whined, running to catch up with me. At first glance, no one would believe that we were actually related. I was tall, with ice-blue eyes and light brown hair. My brother, who was only four years younger than me, was only half my height and had shoulder length night-black hair and darker azure eyes. I had even read through nonsense tabloids that many believed I only pretended Mokuba was my blood brother, when in fact; he was just another kid that I had become attached to at the orphanage, where Mokuba and I had spent the early part of our life.

Whenever I read or heard rumors like these, I was amused by the journalist's ignorance. The thought of me 'becoming attached' to someone, to go to the lengths that I did for Mokuba, if they weren't truly related to me was ridiculous.

We arrived at my brother's junior high school in good time. I watched him leave my side with apprehension. Ever since we had been adopted into the Kaiba family, we had been targeted—both by our stepfather's enemies and by our stepfather—in efforts to either take us out in the former or to 'make us stronger' in the latter case. My stepfather, Gozaburo Kaiba, had without a doubt made me strong, honing my intelligence for the use of business and manipulation in efforts to make me the next heir of Kaiba Corporation.

With his death, I broke all ties with the Kaiba family. It was my way of removing Mokuba from harm's way, and from the suffocating life we had led for those past five years. I could have easily led Kaiba Corporation, but at the cost of my brother's safety. It was not a risk I was willing to take. My business ventures now were small, anonymous—and brought in only enough money for us to make out a humble living. It was enough.

"Kaiba! Kaiba!" a girl's voice called to me. I cringed internally—both at the sound of the name I could not yet get rid of and the feminine voice who uttered it—and continued towards the Domino High School gate. As she continued to call out that hateful name, I suppressed the urge to knock her senseless and passed the girl without a word.

"Aw, so cold as usual! A good morning would be enough, you know," she complained, walking in front of me. Try as I might to maintain a calm mien, I definitely felt my face twitch in irritation.

"Let him be, Kisara. He never has a good morning," a voice called out from behind me. Great…just what I need this morning, more headaches_,_ I thought wryly, turning away from the girl's face—which had been dangerously close to my own—to face the long, silver-haired boy walking towards me.

"I'm not going to give up!" the girl named Kisara cried out and ran off to rejoin her girl friends. The silver-haired boy smirked at me, while simultaneously giving a flirtatious wink towards Kisara and her friends. Their collective swoon was immediately audible. I rolled his eyes.

"Come on, give the girls some love, hm? You know that you and I are considered the most eligible guys in this school," he commented, slinging an arm around me. I froze at the sudden intimacy.

"Still as stiff as ever, eh, Kaiba-boy?" the boy said, laughing.

"Don't you have someone else to bother, Pegasus?" I retorted, removing the boy's arm from around my shoulders.

"Ah, you are too much fun as usual. Well, see you in class," he replied.

I sighed. I watched as the only heir of Industrial Illusions—a rival company of Kaiba Corporations—walked away nonchalantly. I felt my eyes narrow. I never knew what was going through Maximillion Pegasus's head, and it set me on edge. Despite having cut all ties with Gozaburo and his company, I had no choice but to keep the last name Kaiba—at least until I turned eighteen, when I could legally change it. The name alone was enough to draw Pegasus's attention towards me.

I frowned. And the girl—Kisara, was it?—I had no idea what to think of her, either. Annoying, perhaps. Intrusive? No...she was cheerful like Mokuba, but…I sighed. No, I decided finally, she was nothing like Mokuba at all.

I entered into the classroom as usual, and immediately sat down, opened up my laptop to check the current Japan stock values.

"Always business-minded, as expected," Pegasus said, leaning over my shoulder. I gritted my teeth and simply shifted my screen to my class notes, ignoring the silver-haired flirt. Thankfully, I was spared from any further annoyances. The homeroom teacher—a blonde-haired airhead—walked in with her usual aura that sent half of the morons in this classroom drooling.

"Listen up, everyone! We have a new transfer student from the US. Even though he's lived abroad all these years, I'm happy to inform you that his Japanese is as good as any of yours! I'd like you all to welcome Yami Muto," she announced.

Rolling my eyes at the gasp of sudden interest uttered by the idiots in the room, I went back to checking the stock values. I had no interest in this new student here—no doubt he would be on the same level as the rest of the morons here—meaning he was not worth any of my time.

"Doubt you've seen anyone like that," Pegasus whispered from behind me. Giving into a momentary curiosity, I looked up from my laptop. The transfer student was a short, wimpy-looking boy with bizarre spiky purple and black hair and bleached yellow bangs. Nice fashion statement, I thought sarcastically, running my eyes over his black buckled collar and studded wristbands.

What caught my interest the most was the golden, upside down pyramid hanging from his neck by a thin, brown thread. In the center of the Egyptain-looking accessory was a single eye. Though I knew I had never seen anything like it before, something about it triggered a sense of déjà vu. I shook the thought away.

I was about to look back down to my laptop when I felt his eyes on me. They were a bright violet and expressionless—mirroring what my own eyes had looked like while living under Gozaburo's control.

But as soon as I leveled my gaze at him, he looked away, making me believe that I had only imagined him looking at me. He proceeded to smile and simply said, "My name is Muto, Yami. Nice to meet you all."

There was something about him that caused me to tense immediately. Clearly, he knows me. Not a surprise, especially if he is from the US. Most of Kaiba Corporation's international partnerships—and rivals—were from the US. I can't let my guard down around him. I felt Pegasus's eyes following the quick, silent exchange and cursed my luck. That stupid flirt might actually prove to be a real threat if he teams up with this Muto…

Well, there's chapter one. I've decided to keep the chapters short and sweet for now, which will hopefully allow me to update more often :)


	2. Chapter 2

Here's Chapter 2! Since I forgot to add this in the previous chapter...Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh; Also, any places or persons similar to real life are merely coincidental

Okay, now that that's out of the way...please rate and review! I'd like any feedback for improving either my writing style, etc. to make my work more enjoyable to read! Thanks!

Days passed, and my wariness of Muto grew. While he quickly fit into the class with his easy to approach manner—despite his appearance, which said otherwise—his interactions with me were far from comforting. He was clearly glancing in my direction every time he thought I wasn't looking, and the quick-to-notice-anything-about-me Pegasus was noticing the special attention Muto paid me as well. After a week of this game of hide-and-seek, I had had enough.

As the final bell rang, signaling the end of class, I got up and strode over to Muto's desk. I could hear the gasps of surprise coming from my classmates. It was rare that I paid anyone special attention, and the thought of me going up to speak to someone else was unheard of.

"Muto, we need to talk," I said in a low voice. He looked up at me and nodded.

"I thought I would give you some more time. But now works as well," he replied cryptically.

I frowned at his words. I liked it when things were straightforward. It was one of the reasons I had turned down all of the shy girls who had confessed their so-called love to me. I didn't deal with emotions, and I didn't deal with people unless there was something of benefit to me. This was the first time that I approached someone on my own for personal reasons.

"I would personally prefer a more private location than the classroom," he continued. I stared at him. What did he need to discuss with me that couldn't be said in the classroom?

"Fine. The rooftop should be private enough. I want this to be quick," I replied sharply. He nodded in agreement and grabbed his bag.

We walked up the stairs to the roof in silence. I felt my hand clenching and unclenching around the handle of my bag. Why was I so damn nervous? This kid was only a head taller than Mokuba—he didn't even make it to my shoulders! But underneath my anxiety was something else—

"Well. As you have been noticing, for the past week, I have been paying extra attention to you," Muto began.

I snorted. "That is the biggest understatement I have ever heard," I retorted. He didn't look at all phased by my cutting tone. In fact, he continued as if I had not said anything at all.

"I was watching to see if you were worthy," he continued. I checked my watch. 2:45pm. Great, now I only had around ten minutes before Mokuba would get out of school.

"Look, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have time for your long explanations. I just want you to spit it out. If you have a problem with me, just say it. If it's about Kaiba Corporation, I have no ties with that business franchise anymore, so take your troubles elsewhere," I spat out. 2:47pm.

"I have no knowledge of any businesses of that name, nor your association with them. I came here with a single purpose: to meet you and to give you a special item. But from what I've seen of you this week, I don't believe you are worthy of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will bother you no further," he replied. His eyes were suddenly bitter, and full of disappointment, which infuriated me even further.

Some punk whom I don't even know dares to call me unworthy? Unworthy of what? I bit back any further comments I wanted to make. After all, he promised not to be involved with me any more. My business with him was over.

"If you'll excuse me," he said, and with a very curt bow, he turned to the stairs and left. The entire incident left me confused, but I decided not to dwell on it further. Besides, I was running late, and leaving Mokuba unattended was not high on my wish list.

As I rushed past the school, I felt violet eyes watching me, and then turning away in disgust.

I reached Mokuba's junior high school with only a minute to spare. I was glad for the breeze that sprang up, which cooled the perspiration on my skin.

"Onii-chan!" Mokuba called out to me, running towards the school gate where I was waiting.

I gave him a quick nod and started walking towards our home. Mokuba caught up to me and while walking beside me, chattered away happily about his day.

"…and then, this kid brought in his new cell phone. It was really cool! You could play games on it, too! He let me use for a while. Hey, Seto? Don't you think it would be a good idea for us to get cell phones? We never needed them before, since stepfather's guards were always with us and had walkie-talkies, but now…" he paused, looking up at me.

"Alright. We'll go shopping tomorrow for a pair," I agreed. Cell phones didn't seem like a bad idea at all. It was another way for me to keep an eye on him, even when I wasn't there. I calculated how much a good pair of cell phones would cost—Mokuba certainly deserved something better than what his classmate had shown him—and decided to cash in more of my investments than usual tonight.

"Thanks, Onii-chan! You're the best!" he said, grinning widely. I felt a smile creeping up my lips as well, as my earlier anxieties with Muto faded away. I ruffled Mokuba's hair and thought that grabbing lunch or dinner together somewhere nice would be good, too. I was looking forward to tomorrow—going out with Mokuba—and Saturday meant no school, which meant no Muto.

I frowned as I realized that my thoughts were circling around to him once again. Why did he bother me so much? The sight of him—even before the week of his glances in my direction and the infuriating confrontation moments before—pissed me off for no logical reason. I shook my head, trying to focus instead on my plans for tomorrow.

At Mokuba's request, we spent every Friday evening watching a movie together. He insisted on having popcorn and his favorite candy—skittles—along with each movie. Understandably, half of my food pantry now consisted of skittles and popcorn. I stayed away from the skittles—I hated the taste of sugar lingering in my mouth—but ended up consuming half of the popcorn at an alarming rate.

This evening's movie was something about a magician who lived in a moving junk heap. Mokuba watched the passing images with wide eyes, munching away happily. The movie—like most of the movies we watched together—was Mokuba's choice, so I had little interest in actually watching the antics of a talking fire or the old woman now filling the screen. I was simply content watching my brother enjoying himself.

I started to feel the lack of sleep from the previous night. I allowed my eyes to close, relaxing into the pillows on the sofa. As I drifted off, my mind returned to its usual haunting grounds. I saw the glaring face of my stepfather from the perspective of a child. His stern, intimidating face towered over me, and no matter how much I tried to erase his cunning face from my memory, it remained. As my vision blurred, the image shifted and my stepfather's eyes turned deep violet, and his hair grew into spiky deep black and purple. His bangs grew into thin slivers of gold. The tiny child that was once me looked up at the frowning boy—at Muto—and cowered from his disappointed gaze. Then his eyes narrowed and he mouthed 'not worthy' over and over. I felt myself shivering and my breath catching in my throat. His face morphed once again to my stepfather's—still mouthing 'not worthy'—and then everything went dark…

"Onii-chan! Seto!" a voice was calling out over and over again. I felt hands on my shoulders, and felt the sensation of being shaken quite violently.

"…stop…that…dizzy…" I wheezed. I was wheezing? Why?

My eyes snapped open to see my brother bent over me with tears in his eyes. I frowned in irritation. I had let it happen again. I placed my hand gently on his in what I hoped was a reassuring gesture.

"I'm okay. Just a little tired. Nothing to worry about," I stated. My brother was having none of my false assurance tonight.

"You're not okay. It was worse than usual, Seto. You weren't breathing!" he said in an almost hysterical voice.

I cursed myself silently for letting my guard down enough to allow this to happen, especially in my brother's presence. Damn it. It was that Muto's fault. I ran my hand through my hair and turned to the screen. The movie was rolling through the credits. How long was I trapped in my own nightmare?

Only after I agreed to a doctor's visit did Mokuba finally calm down. He refused to leave my side for the night, and so we ended up curling up on the sofa together. His soft breathing calmed me, and I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning I woke up to the smell of omelets on the frying pan. Rubbing my sleep-filled my eyes, I saw Mokuba humming away while making breakfast. How long was I going to let my brother take care of me like this?

Probably better him cooking than me—for both of our sakes. The last time I attempted to cook, both the kitchen and the food looked like they had gone through a natural disaster. Cooking was not a skill Gozaburo felt was crucial for a businessman to learn, so I had never learned, nor was I ever given the free time to learn on my own. Mokuba, who was never expected to become heir, was given much more freedom and learned from the cooks at the mansion.

"Eat up! All you had for dinner last night was some popcorn," Mokuba said. I grunted and retorted, "Says the person who only had skittles."

Mokuba grinned at me in return and set the table. The sight and smell of the fluffy yellow omelet made my mouth water.

"Itadekimasu," we said together before attacking our food.

"You are going to make the doctor's appointment, right?" Mokuba asked after washing down his omelet with a glass of milk.

"If it makes you happy," I replied. I had no desire to go to any doctor, let alone a shrink. The thought of sitting in front of someone, having to spill my life story…no thanks. Even Mokuba didn't have the privilege of that.

I didn't argue with him, however. I picked up the phone and made the appointment. One I was planning on not going to.

We headed out around noon towards the heart of Domino City. Domino was a small town—calling it a city was too kind—with scatters of tiny houses that all looked the same with the exception of what was commonly known as the Financial District. No actual business deals occurred there, but it was the area where the wealthy lived. Where Mokuba and I would have lived.

We arrived in the downtown area—a sad mix of a dozen or so shops—and headed over to the cell phone shop. As we walked over, I had a creeping sensation that someone was following us. I quick glance to my periphery told me that my hunch was correct. I forced myself to be calm for Mokuba's sake. While he perused the store, browsing through the phones, I decided to act.

Leaving my brother in the hands of the salesperson, I nonchalantly left the store. My pursuer did not budge from his hiding place. That confirmed it for me. The target was Mokuba.

I rushed into action, cornering the stalker in the dark alley where he had been hiding. He was covered in some strange purple robe with a picture of an eye that looked exactly like the eye on Muto's pyramid. That bastard, I thought, ripping the robe off of the figure.

The man looked up at me with frightened eyes. Yes, I thought, he should be scared. I placed my hand around his neck and began to squeeze. The fear in his eyes delighted me. As I slowly increased the pressure, I leaned into the man's face and asked in a low voice, "Who hired you? I'm not the patient type. I'll give you five seconds…one…two…"

"I don't know," the man wheezed, as I constricted his throat further, "I don't even know what I'm doing here or who you are."

"I was hoping you'd have a better cover story than that," I whispered into his ear and kicked him in the groin. He doubled over in pain. I released his throat, watching with satisfaction as he coughed and spluttered in agony.

"That's enough," I heard a voice behind me. I turned—and my suspicions were confirmed. There, in the flesh, was Muto.

"Does it hurt to see one of your own men in this state?" I hissed. His eyes narrowed. I had just enough time to see his fist coming towards me. I blocked his right hook and swung my own—which he caught in his own right hand. Confused at the strength he displayed, I released the tension in my arm.

"Go," he commanded to the man I had beat up. The man looked grateful, and hurried off. My fury mounting, I made a motion to follow the man—only to have Muto's fist connect with my stomach. I slumped to the ground with Muto staring down at me.

"What do you want?" I wheezed. My mind was already becoming hazy and I was quickly discovering an inability to breathe.

"I want you to listen. That man had nothing to do with this situation. Furthermore, his true target was me, not you or your brother," he said in a low voice. I stared at him in disbelief.

"What the hell is going on?" I managed to say.

His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I thought they softened. But within moments, they returned to their cold, piercing glare.

"I am sorry. It seems you are not ready yet," he murmured in a voice so low that I barely registered it. Then he did something I did not expect. He extended a hand to me. I turned my face away. I certainly didn't need this punk's help getting to my feet.

"I have done a good job of making you hate me, haven't I?" he said, giving me a smile. My frown deepened.

"Some answers would be nice," I growled. His smile widened.

"In good time, I assure you," he replied, "It would help if you weren't so suspicious of me."

"You've given me no reason to think otherwise," I replied.

"I am sorry," he repeated, and walked away.

Remembering that I had left Mokuba alone at the cell phone shop, I hurried back. Mokuba, thankfully, had not noticed my absence and was busy chatting away with the salesperson about the features of the cell phone in his hand. I sighed in relief. Mokuba heard my sigh and turned—only to frown in confusion. I remembered then that I must look less then presentable, after my adventures in the alley. Ignoring his—and the salesman's—confused looks, I inquired about the features of the phone Mokuba was holding in his hand. I bought a pair and we left the shop in silence.

After the silence stretched for an uncomfortably long period of time, Mokuba spoke.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing to worry about," I replied. Realizing that I was going to say nothing further, Mokuba fell silent. It was better if he didn't know. Besides, I had no idea what was going on myself. I needed answers. And I needed them now.


	4. Chapter 4

My return to school after the events of the weekend was less than pleasant, knowing that Muto would be there. To make matters worse, Pegasus clung to me like an attention-deprived child, not leaving me alone despite whatever I said and did. In replace of Muto's annoyances, I had gained Pegasus's instead.

In response to the stalker on Saturday, I had spent the entire day Sunday researching Muto and the strange eye symbol that I had seen on his pyramid and the stalker's robes. The results I found were baffling. The only mentions of Muto were of his father, Solomon Muto, a well-respected archeologist whose specialty was ancient Egypt. Curiously enough, when I researched the eye, most of my hits led me to sites on ancient Egyptian artifacts or ancient Egyptian history.

There was definitely a connection between Muto and the robed man—he had said so himself. He was the target? What did that mean? I would normally give it no more thought, except that I was sure that Mokuba and I were somehow involved in all this. I needed more information—and I knew how to get it.

I decided to skip class for the rest of day and snuck off to the rooftop, where I had the displeasure of seeing a couple snogging. Turning away from the now furiously blushing couple, I headed to the far corner and opened my laptop. I needed more information about Muto's personal history and any connections he had to his father's work.

I hacked into the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities' main webpage for further information about the artifacts that Solomon Muto had donated to the museum. Page after page detailed the site of discovery, monetary worth and significance of what seemed to me initially like worthless junk. No sign of the eye yet in any of Solomon's findings. Perhaps my search base was too narrow. I navigated my way through more levels of security to find a highly encoded site, blocked by an expansive image of the eye and a password system that I would be able to crack in the next minute or so. To my disgust, however, I heard a lilting voice behind me.

"A sudden interest in ancient Egyptian mythology?" Pegasus asked, sitting down beside me uninvited. I shut my laptop immediately.

"Is there something you want?" I asked.

"Did you know that the ancient Egyptians played games? Not for fun, mind you, but instead of having large battles. Games for wealth, land and power," Pegasus said.

I glared at him. Why was he wasting my time with this?

"And I was thinking, wouldn't it be great to recreate this game? With the technological potential of Kaiba Corporations and Industrial Illusions—this game could…"

I tuned him out and reopened my laptop again. I had been logged out of the layers of security I had bypassed just moments ago. Wanting the nuisance, who was behind me rambling on about some game, to leave, I decided to humor him just a little.

"This game…does it have a name?" I asked, going through my searches of Egyptian history once again.

"Ah, excellent question, Kaiba-boy! You see, the name the ancient Egyptians gave this game were shadow duels. Now that's a bit too scary for marketing purposes, don't you think? I was thinking an adaptation for modern use—how does Duel Monsters sound?" Pegasus continued encouraged by the fact that I had responded to him.

His arm wrapped around my shoulders again, and I resisted the urge to punch him. Harming the heir of Industrial Illusions would certainly come back to haunt me. I reluctantly typed in 'ancient Egypt' and 'shadow duels' into the search box and was surprised to see the 6,760,000 hits that popped up. I raised an eyebrow.

"Ah yes! The mythology behind shadow duels has interested scholars and amateurs alike! A game based upon them for commercial use would be an instant hit!" Pegasus responded, taking my laptop from me. He clicked and turned the screen towards me.

I found myself staring at an official page on the soon to open exhibit on shadow duels:

These stone tablets are the original tablets believed to be used in the shadow duels 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt. A game popular among the pharaoh, the priests and the wealthy of the upper class of society, these duels were often played to the death using magic. Details of these shadow duels are being investigated by leading scholar Solomon Muto at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, through his expertise in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. These tablets will be on display for public viewing starting July 1st…

I stopped reading when I glanced at the image to the right of the text. I saw that the top of one of the tablets had an eye symbol and concealed my shock at the resemblance to the eye on Muto's pyramid. This exhibit had answers—both in the form of Solomon Muto and his work. I needed to go there.

Pegasus did not miss my sudden interest, but luckily mistook the reason for my interest.

"I see you're finally taking my offer seriously. Well, would you like to check out this exhibit with me?" he offered.

I hesitated. In my impatience to find answers about Muto and the stalker, I had failed to consider Pegasus' true intentions. Something as ridiculous as collaborations between Kaiba Corporations and Industrial Illusions was definitely a cover up—a flimsy one at that. I pushed the thought out of my mind for the moment. After all, he was my ticket to this exhibit, and his connections would allow me greater access as well.

"I accept. However, I must remind you that I have no ties with Kaiba Corporations anymore," I replied.

"Ah, I am aware of your sudden disappearance from the business world following your stepfather's tragedy. But I think we all know that it's only a matter of time, Kaiba-boy, before you return," Pegasus said with an odd glint in his eye.

So that was it. Pegasus believed that I would be running Kaiba Corporations in the future, and was sticking to me like a leech in hopes of future business collaborations. His actions and attitude towards me seemed perfectly logical from that point of view. It fit with his idiotic personality.

But something still felt off about the situation. I would deal with Pegasus later. First, I needed to find out Muto and the strange eye…


	5. Chapter 5

I stared out the window absently at the rushing white clouds below. I was sitting in Maximillion Pegasus' private jet, along with the owner himself, Mokuba and—to my utter disgust—Yami Muto. I remember getting onto the plane hours before, shocked to see Yami sitting nonchalantly in a window seat.

"What is he doing here?" I demanded immediately, turning to Pegasus.

"It is his father's exhibit we're going to see. It's because of him that we were able to get such private access. How else do you think I was able to book a viewing before the official opening date?" Pegasus explained, giving Muto a nod of thanks. Muto smiled both at him and me. I turned away in disgust. This was going to be one hell of a trip.

Mokuba seemed thrilled to be going to Egypt, however. Ever since I had told him that we were going to take a vacation to Egypt, he had been furiously reading through anything and everything he could get his hands on about ancient Egypt. He, of course, believed that this was a fun trip that I had organized with my 'friends' and was even shocked at first when I explained that Pegasus had personally invited me.

"The heir to Industrial Illusions? Wow, Seto, I never thought you and him would be friends," he remarked when I told him.

To be honest, I never expected to be in this situation either. Sitting in Pegasus' private jet across the aisle from Muto, on route to Egypt. I would've laughed aloud if the situation weren't so serious.

I checked the map on the screen in front of me. Five more hours to go. I supposed a nap wasn't a bad idea and let my eyelids droop. Ah, peace and quiet, I thought, and started to get more comfortable. I knew it wasn't going to last.

"Seto! They have the same peanuts we used to have on our private jet!" Mokuba cried excitedly, rushing to the seat next to me. I groaned and opened my eyes. I took the packet of peanuts that Mokuba gave me and thoughtlessly began to open the bag. As I popped the first nut into my mouth, I realized my mistake.

The taste of peanuts—particularly this brand—always brought me to think of the many business trips I went to with my stepfather. Since on these outings, I represented the company as well, my stepfather's punishments for failure or lack of poise were extreme. On the return trips, I remember chewing on my peanuts slowly, thinking that they would be the last things that I would eat for a while. I was never wrong on that account, either.

One time, after I had spoken out against one of Gozaburo's propositions at the meeting, he locked me up in a room with no windows and no light. I don't know how long I was in that room—hungry and thirsty, with the taste of peanuts mixing with fear in my mouth—but since then, I learned not to oppose my stepfather—publicly or not.

I spit out the peanuts immediately into a napkin, and washed away the taste with an entire bottle of water. There, I thought, much better. Pegasus had returned from wherever he had gone and seemed determined to discuss the 'duel monsters' game with me again.

"Well, so obviously there needs to be monsters, since that was the way the duels were held…as for the magic, perhaps in the game the characters could be given certain powers…" he began.

"Why don't you make it a card game?" I suggested in an effort to shut him up.

He looked at me and smiled, his one visible eye gleaming.

"Brilliant idea, Kaiba-boy. After all…cards would allow for longer-lived sales than a single video game…" he mused aloud.

Almost against my common sense, I was becoming drawn to the idea of duel monsters.

"It gives variability, and can reach a larger population," I replied.

"So, you're thinking of a large age group as the target," Pegasus replied.

"If the game's rules were simple enough that even kids could play, but could involve complex strategies, attracting older individuals as well…that would ideal," I agreed.

"Hm…so monster cards…and for simulating the magic aspect of the shadow duels…" Pegasus thought aloud, as he jotted notes down on his laptop.

I could sense Muto's growing interest in the conversation, so I lowered my voice even further, so only Pegasus and Mokuba could hear me.

"That's simple. Spell cards to mimic whatever their so-called magic could do. And a last set of cards to block these spell cards…"

"Trap cards! Three specialized cards…monster, spell and trap cards for the purpose of…"

"Shadow duels were played primarily to the death. Every time damage was done to an opponent by the creatures used in these duels, it is rumored that the opponent lost part of their life force," Muto interjected.

Pegasus looked up and nodded.

"Well, to make that concept friendlier…how about life points instead? The first one to lose all their life points, loses the duel?" he suggested.

"I worry about your plans to make the shadow duel concept into a children's card game. We don't know enough about the shadow duels as of yet…" Muto said.

"It's only a card game. I doubt there can be any harm from that," Pegasus replied, frantically typing notes.

"Ah, and I can hand paint the cards. Coming up with so many new monster designs…" Pegasus said in an excited tone.

"You can paint?" I asked, my curiosity overcoming my desire to tell him to shut it.

"Of course! I would've been a wandering artist, exploring the world with my painting talent if not for Industrial Illusions," he said, with a dreamy expression on his face.

"I bet you like wine and fermented cheese too," I said sarcastically. Pegasus looked up from his computer and laughed.

"As a matter of fact, I do…anything with class and beauty…nature, women…"

I rolled my eyes. I had just made the idiot talk more. Cursing myself for my stupidity, I closed my eyes and tried to tune out his chattering about his ideal woman.


	6. Chapter 6

It was dark, and there was strange laughter in the air.

"Who's there?" I called out, but received no answer. The laughter continued, only getting louder. They're getting closer, I thought wildly. I could feel my pulse hammering at an alarming rate. I closed my now useless eyes and tried to focus on the direction of the sound.

"Seto Kaiba," the voice finally drawled.

"Who's there?" I repeated, feeling more and more vulnerable as time passed.

The laughter continued becoming higher pitched. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. My mind flashed an image of my stepfather, and I felt my throat constrict, blocking my breathing…

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" Mokuba cried.

He was shaking me awake again. Damn, it was happening even more often than usual. As my throat relaxed, I greedily gulped in fresh air into my lungs. It was then I realized that both Pegasus and Muto were there as well. I hoped fervently that I hadn't said anything aloud while trapped in my nightmare. Mokuba was wiping the perspiration that covered my forehead, while Pegasus ordered a drink for me from the stewardess. Muto sat very still, watching me recover from my pathetic weakness.

Of all people to see me this way…I had to have another attack while on Pegasus' private jet of all places. I frowned and placed a hand on Mokuba's shoulder. In his panic, Mokuba had been repeating 'onii-chan' even after I was fully conscious.

"I'm okay, Mokuba. I'm fine," I said firmly.

"Shall I call a doctor when we reach Cairo?" Pegasus asked. I looked up at him and was surprised to see what looked like genuine concern.

"My father, due to medical problems of his own, has his own personal doctor. I have already contacted him, and asked him to be ready to greet us. He can give you a full check up once we land," Muto said.

I didn't know what to say. I was grateful for their efficiency at handling the situation, but their mothering me made me frustrated. I wasn't some invalid, after all.

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary," I replied. Mokuba's glare told me that my wish to not be examined would not be fulfilled.

"What he means is that he's grateful and would be glad to take your offer," Mokuba said immediately.

"At least tell me about this kind of thing before we take off, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said, "I would've had a doctor board with us."

I was getting tired of this conversation.

"How much longer till we land?" I asked instead.

"About fifteen minutes," Pegasus responded, still looking at me like I was going convulse at any moment.

I turned to face the window. I didn't need their pity. I didn't need their help. Dammit! If only I would stop having these nightmares. I made a mental note to not fall asleep in the company of others again.

We landed after an uncomfortable 15 minutes of silence, and were greeted by a short man with spiky graying hair—no doubt Solomon Muto—and a silent, dark-skinned man whose head was bare except a small ponytail in the back. Half of his face—I was shocked to see—was covered with an intricate tattoo. It was his clothes that drew my close attention. They were the same purple robes I had seen on the man in the alley. His hood was not raised, so I could not be sure the eye insignia was on this robe as well. My eyes narrowed. I was sure at the heart of the matter. I looked quickly at Mokuba, almost regretting my decision to bring him here.

"Father!" Muto cried out, waving in a childish way. His countenance was completely different from what I was accustomed to. He seemed gleeful without restraint—almost in the same way Mokuba was whenever he saw me. His father burst into a huge smile and waved in return. I nodded politely to Solomon Muto, and for a second, I saw his eyes light up in recognition. Great, I thought. Wherever I go, I'm always going to be a 'Kaiba.'

"Father, I'd like you to meet Maximillion Pegasus. He is the classmate I was telling you about who was interested in seeing the exhibit. And this is Seto Kaiba, my…"

I waited to hear him say 'classmate' for me as well. His hesitation surprised me. If anyone else noticed it, they ignored it and continued on.

"Nice to meet you. It's always good to see some young people interested in history and artifacts!" Solomon said beaming, "Now I was told one of you needed a doctor…"

"It's quite all right now. It won't be necessary," I said quickly. I had a sinking suspicion that the 'doctor' was the dark-skinned man standing behind Solomon Muto. If anything, being treated by that man would only make my symptoms worse.

"Is that so? Well, all of you could use some rest after your long flight. I'll show you to your rooms and have you meet with the curator of the museum tomorrow, who will be your primary guide through the exhibit. I do apologize, but I have a dig to return to tomorrow, so will not be able to guide you through the exhibit. However, I am happy to say that the curator's expertise exceed my own. I hope you will not be disappointed," he said.

"Not at all. Thank you for the privilege of seeing your work," Pegasus replied.

What a poser. He could act like a downright gentleman if the situation called for it. At times like these, he almost seemed like an intelligent person…

Mokuba had kept unusually quiet during the meeting, and I suspected that was because he was upset with me for refusing to see the doctor. When we brought to our rooms, I was happy to see that they had the foresight to place both Mokuba and me in the same room.

Exhausted after the long flight and my attack, I collapsed onto the bed. I could really use a shower.

As if summoned by my thoughts, a young girl—probably no more than one or two years younger than me—came to room, holding fresh towels and new clothes. I eyed her closely, surprised at the unique golden tone of her skin. Her off-white clothing concealed little of her lithe body—which Mokuba was staring at with reddened cheeks.

"The bath is located in the adjoining room. Here are towels and new clothes to change into. If you need any further assistance, just call for me. I will be awaiting your instructions," she said, bowing and leaving the room.

"Mokuba," I said sharply, hoping to take his mind off of the girl's body, "you go first."

"Ah…right, sure…" he stammered, still blushing furiously.

I was seriously starting to question why I had brought Mokuba along.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, we were summoned to meet with the curator of the museum. Deciding that going through a museum would be boring for Mokuba, I had Pegasus arrange a tour of the city of Cairo for him. I made sure that he was accompanied by at least three of Pegasus' bodyguards and warned Pegasus that his head would be mine if anything happened to my brother. Mokuba's excited and eager face, however, put me at ease, as I promised to meet up with him later in the day.

I was still trying to rid my mind of the unfortunate scenario I had walked into earlier that morning. With jet lag, I was awake before Mokuba and decided to ask Pegasus to arrange the tour as soon as possible. I walked over to his room and knocked. When there was no answer, I opened the door—only to find him asleep in bed with the girl who had brought the towels yesterday. Trying to keep my disgust at bay, I closed the door, and spent the rest of the morning trying to erase the image from my memory.

I welcomed Solomon with detached politeness, welcoming the distraction from my musings. I had to admit, I was curious about the curator, and hoped that he met my standards. I needed to know as much as possible about the eye insignia, the meaning behind its design and its use. And I needed to know its connection to the Muto's.

"If you'll follow me, we'll be meeting with the curator soon," Solomon said, breaking me from my thoughts.

We passed through a set of double doors into a well-furnished office. It was obvious that the owner of the office was someone of wealth—and power. The heavy use of gold, the particular design of the furniture—everything was modeled after ancient Egyptian aesthetics—and even the imposing aura it gave agreed with me. Even before meeting with the curator, I had decided it would be someone I would not dislike, at least.

"Is the furniture to your liking, Mr. Kaiba?"

I turned to face the owner of the voice, and found myself staring into the deep blue eyes of a woman.

"Well?" she asked in a commanded tone of voice. I took her features in slowly—her long black hair that flowed to her waist, the olive skin, and the golden hairpieces—and paused on the necklace adorning her neck. Made of the same solid gold as Muto's pyramid, it too had the insignia of the eye. Perfect, I thought.

"It suits me, yes," I replied, my eyes flickering from her necklace to her eyes. Proud, confident, powerful eyes.

She continued to gaze at me in silence and then abruptly turned away.

"Thank you, Solomon. I can take it from here," she said. Solomon nodded in respect and then he and his son left for the dig. I turned back to face the woman, whom I now realized was the curator. This must be her office, I mused. Explains her attitude at least. Not that I mind. I prefer her type. Straightforward. She'll be easy to use to get the information I want.

"I have been expecting you two, Mr. Pegasus and Mr. Kaiba. My name is Ishizu Ishtar and I am the curator of this museum. Solomon expressed to me your interest particularly in his exhibit. Be grateful for this opportunity. I am only doing this as a favor to Solomon," she announced.

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Ishtar," Pegasus said, bowing slightly. I watched the exchange in silence. The power struggle was palpable. Pegasus—the only son of the powerful Industrial Illusions CEO—and Ishizu Ishtar—the head of one of the world's richest museums—were eying each other with thinly veiled desire for dominance.

But I didn't need to watch for long. I knew who the victor would be. Pegasus was in Ishizu's territory, after all. I concealed my smile as I watched Ishizu's subtle aura of domination increase.

"Well then, shall we?" she asked, giving me another long look. I returned her gaze with equal measure, making it clear that while this was her territory, I would not back down. She then did something curious. She smiled at me—very briefly—and continued onwards.

"Looks like she's grabbed your interest—that's rare," Pegasus murmured as she proceeded ahead. I had to agree. There was something about her—something that I was hoping would lead me to discover the truth behind the eye.

I followed wordlessly behind the curator, my eyes lingering on her long, black hair. If I could push the hair aside, reach her neck; I could gain access to the necklace. That necklace bearing the eye insignia…

We reached a plain-looking set of double doors. She pushed them open and motioned for us to follow. I was plunged into darkness for a moment, and allowed my eyes to adjust to the lack of light. Just as I was beginning to see undefined shapes on the walls, the lights turned on. I squinted and allowed my eyes to slowly take in their surroundings.

The entire hallway housed entire stone tablets, encased in glass. There were at least two dozen of these tablets on one wall alone—they were twice my height and at least five times my width, covered in hieroglyphics and pictures.

"This was the first of the stone tablets that Solomon discovered, " she explained, gesturing to the stone tablet I had been staring at, "The hieroglyphics here describe the wealth and power of the pharaoh. The power it is referring to has a two-fold meaning. Power, as in political power, and power—magical powers—bestowed upon him by the gods. It goes on to describe the rise of the sorcerers—those who could perform magic after long years of training and prayer—and their quest to obtain the pharaoh's power. Their quest grew into the shadow games. These games were a way for the pharaoh to demonstrate his power to the people, to prove that he was indeed the reincarnation of the gods on earth.

"As word reached other kingdoms of this practice, many came to challenge the pharaoh. Only those who defeated his priests were now allowed the privilege of facing the pharaoh himself. This tablet here describes a shadow duel between one of the pharaoh's priests and the ruler of a neighboring clan. These inscriptions here are not hieroglyphics, but the images of the creatures used in these duels," she paused, realizing that Pegasus had been frantically writing down everything she had said.

"And here—the next thirty or so tablets—are the tablets used for the shadow duels. It is written that the sorcerers summoned their beasts from these stone tablets using their magic."

I watched as Pegasus switched from writing to rough sketches of the tablets—which would become duel monsters cards in the future, no doubt. I had no interest in the shadow games or the monsters themselves. None of the tablets I had seen so far contained the eye insignia. I frowned.

"You are not satisfied, I see," she remarked, after gazing at my expression.

"Yes," I admitted, "The insignia on your necklace…I would like to know more about it."

I heard Pegasus' incessant pencil scratching stop.

"You are referring to this eye? It is the symbol of the pharaoh's power and graces all seven Millennium items," she replied.

"Millennium items?"

"Yes. A time came when the shadow duels became too powerful—too destructive. In efforts to stop the shadow duels from destroying Egypt—and some scholars say the world—the pharaoh sealed away the power of the shadow duels into seven millennium items—this necklace is one of them," she responded.

"So are you telling me that that necklace has magical power?" I remarked sarcastically. This hocus-pocus story had gone long enough. I wanted her to get to the chase—and fast.

"Indeed. I see you do not believe me. Well then, follow me," she responded with an air of efficiency I found pleasing.

I followed her to the end of the hallway to another set of double doors. She pushed them open with strength I would not have guessed she had.

"This is the final tablet that was found. I believe its contents will interest you," she said, and her tone had an almost amusing quality to it.

When she turned the lights on to the room and revealed the final tablet, my first gut reaction was that it was a hoax.

"This is a joke, right?" I snapped.

"Far from it, Mr. Kaiba. I will give you some time alone to examine the artifact. I will return to explain it's meaning momentarily," she said, and with a shift turn of her heel, left the room.

"Wait…" I began, before realizing that she had already left. I frowned. There was no way this was real. Of all the magic baloney she had spouted earlier, this was the worst. And gazing at the tablet only left me with more questions—and no answers.


	8. Chapter 8

The tablet was the largest of all the tablets. At the very top of the tablet was the eye insignia. But its presence was the least of my concerns now. As I shifted my gaze downward, I saw three creatures flanked by two men. The one on the left looked so much like Muto it was as if someone had drawn a replica of his image. The same spiky hair, the same sharp eyes—and around his neck hung the same pyramid. Facing him to the right—was the exact replica of me.

"What the hell?" I managed finally.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" Pegasus asked. He had long since put away his sketchbook and was gazing at the tablet in awe.

"No. Should I?" I retorted.

"This tablet seems to suggest that, yes," Pegasus remarked.

"There's no way," I said in disbelief. I could feel that my eyes were wide with shock.

"Have you examined it?" Ishizu asked, returning to the room.

"What is the meaning of this?" I demanded, gesturing to the stone tablet.

"This tablet depicts the greatest shadow duel. The pharaoh dueled against his own priest for reasons that have been lost. Here," she said, gesturing to the lower left corner where the stone had eroded away, "was where the winner of the duel was written. We may never know who the victor was…"

"That's not what I'm asking," I said, quickly losing all patience, "Why does that drawing look like me?"

"Would you like to see…the events of 5000 years ago," she said, touching her millennium necklace, "I can show you the past as it was through the power of this necklace."

I looked at her in disbelief. She was still sprouting such nonsense? Beautiful as she was, she was lacking in common sense. And I had no patience with people like her. There was no way viewing the past through a necklace was possible.

"You are a hard one to please, Mr. Kaiba. It was fate that you came here, and fate that you see your past. Open your mind—and the answers you seek will be yours," she murmured.

Before I could reply to her cryptic message, a bright light emanated from the necklace and filled the room. Cheap trick, I thought, as my vision failed. As the light dimmed, I found myself in an entirely different room. The walls were covered with hieroglyphics and down below, stone tablets were rising from the floor.

"I summon the blue eyes white dragon!" a familiar voice called out. The owner of the voice was none other than my duplicate, wearing the same clothing as the image on the tablet, holding a rod made of gold. Upon the rod's end was the eye insignia, which glowed in response to the moving tablet.

"I will counter with my Dark Magician! Come forth!" a voice called out. That commanding voice was unmistakable. It was Muto's voice, coming from a man who could've been Muto's twin. The pyramid hanging from the double's neck was the same, and glowed in response to the second moving tablet.

As I continued to watch from my suspended position in the air, I watched as creatures rose from out of the tablets and attacked each other in a flash of light. Great, I'm dreaming again, and when I wake up, I'll be breathless as usual. I grimaced at the thought of waking up in my usual state following a nightmare in front of the curator.

The creature's attacks combined into a ball of light that expanded to fill the room. I felt my vision disappear in the light once more. When I could see once again, I was standing in the room at the museum, gazing at the glass-encased tablet.

"That was your past self, dueling against the pharaoh," Ishizu remarked, "Your destiny is intertwined with the millennium items—both your past and your future."

"I don't believe in destiny. I make my own future. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll look around myself," I snapped.

She looked away quickly, as if offended, but then turned back to face me a few moments later.

"Your brother—will be in danger," she said simply. I stared at her in disbelief. Was this her way of displaying that I had offended her?

I shook away my darkening thoughts and took out my cell phone. My brother's number was the only one worth storing. Without averting my gaze from her—earnest? confident? concerned?—eyes, I clicked speed dial to my brother's cell phone. I wanted her to be wrong—both for my brother's safety and to expose her magic for what it really was—cheap parlor tricks.

"Onii-chan?" Mokuba's said.

"Mokuba," I said, sounding as casual as I could, "how is the city?"

"It's great! I got to see all these cool monuments and even went into the market place! One of the shopkeepers spoke English, so I haggled for some fruit from him. So, are you done? One of the bodyguards said that he could take us both to see the pyramids of Giza…" he rambled on.

If I hadn't been glaring at Ishizu Ishtar while on the phone, I would've allowed myself a small smile at his enthusiasm. The tour was a good idea, after all. And more importantly, he was safe and sound.

"Good. I'll join you soon," I concluded.

"Great! We're near the…" Mokuba began. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I snapped the phone shut, cutting the call. Pegasus raised an eyebrow at me in question.

"Contact your men directly," I said to him, "in private."

I made no secret of the fact that the curator herself was my biggest concern now. Her expression changed slightly at my remark, but she displayed no surprise in her azure eyes.

"It will make no difference, Mr. Kaiba. I am not your enemy. I have seen with my necklace that your brother…" she began.

"Thank you for showing us the exhibit," I said in a sarcastic tone, "It's been a pleasure. If you'll excuse us…"

Without waiting for an answer, I turned on my heel. I felt frustrated. I had come all the way here—only to be told stories about ancient magical games. The eye insignia—apparently the symbol of the millennium items—had another meaning, I was sure of it. One that the curator knew, but was concealing from us. I was tired of her talk of fate and power. If Mokuba was in truly in danger—as much as I wished it otherwise—then I needed to act now. I silently said goodbye to the curator for good, hoping to never see her again.


	9. Chapter 9

As I left the museum, Curator Ishtar's eyes haunted me. They had communicated to me clearly that she was perfectly sure about the fact that Mokuba would be in danger. As much as I didn't want to admit it—she wasn't the type of woman who would state something on a whim. Which meant only two things—either she was directly behind a plot against Mokuba or she knew of a plot and was somehow indirectly involved. Without knowing which of the two categories she fell into, I could not act against her. It was best, for now, to avoid her.

More than the strange visions she claimed were from my past life, it was the eye insignia on her necklace, Muto's pyramid—which she had called the millennium puzzle—and on the robes of the stalker that still claimed my attention. I needed more information; I hated rushing into anything half-informed. But that was exactly what I was doing now.

"My bodyguards can handle the threat. We'll be meeting with them soon," Pegasus cried out over the drone of the motorcycle. I nodded. For now, I would have to leave it to Pegasus. The thought of not having complete control of a situation where Mokuba's safety was at stake—was only adding to my increasing irritation and frustration.

We made a sharp turn and entered a narrow alleyway. Turning off the engines of the motorbikes, we stepped off—only to head in the opposite direction. My eyes narrowed. The way Pegasus maneuvered his way through the side streets strongly suggested to me that he had been in Cairo before—more than once at least.

He suddenly stopped. I felt it as well. We were being followed. There were at least five of them, and from the soft sound of clinking metal, I could tell they were armed. As I heard the swish of swords being drawn, I grabbed the nearest pole and swung towards my attackers.

To the right—a swift parry and swing sent the man's sword flying. I gazed in surprise when I saw that the man was wearing the same purple robes as the stalker. But this man was different. He neither looked dazed nor confused, and came at me bare handed. I connected my right fist with his stomach, but my punch seemed to not affect him at all. Before I could reflect on this, I heard the click of a gun and turned to the sound—only to see Pegasus at gunpoint.

Useless, I thought, as I rushed forward and kicked the gun from the hooded man's hands. Grabbing the gun that went flying through the air, I aimed at a third man's arm, which had found its way around Pegasus' neck.

"Let him go," I commanded. The man continued to squeeze, and I could see Pegasus losing the ability to breathe fast. Hesitating no further, I fired—hitting the man's exposed right arm. Looking at his gunshot wound as if it was something merely curious, the man released Pegasus, who coughed and wheezed.

I spun around and kicked the man who was approaching me from behind. I watched in satisfaction as the man doubled over. At least my kicks were doing something to them. But my satisfaction did not last long. He stood right back up, wheezing but displaying no sense of pain. What were these men? If they were men at all…

Pegasus—the idiot that he was—had picked up a sword and had began flailing wildly. I ducked as one of his swings threatened to behead me on the spot.

"Get behind me and drop that damn sword," I commanded. Pegasus obeyed me without question. The five that I had sensed at the beginning seemed to multiply—there were at least ten of them now, and the ones that I had struck earlier, including the man whose arm was bleeding profusely from the gun wound, were heading towards Pegasus and me as if not injured at all.

I looked up and saw more of them appearing from the rooftops and from the windows.

"Shit!" I muttered. Even alone, this many would be a challenge. With Pegasus as additional baggage...

I continued firing, trying to hold the mob that was gathering around us at bay. I knew my efforts were useless. I needed a new strategy. I fired at hinges of the sign attached to the second story of the adjacent building, and watched as the sign fell onto a cluster of the men. I could feel Pegasus begin to retch behind me. Great, I thought sarcastically, what a useful asset right now—a vomiting man as a partner.

After I had dismantled all of the adjacent buildings' signs, crushing at least a dozen robed men in the process, I began to calculate the odds. There were now at least thirty or so of the robed men, and only two of us—scratch that—the idiot was more of a liability. I was taught by my stepfather to feel no fear of death—but pain was a different story. And if I were to give into this mob now, no doubt my end would be a painful one.

I was hoping that Pegasus' guards had the common sense to keep Mokuba as far away from here as possible. But of course, Pegasus was their first concern…

The sound of a truck's roaring engine confirmed my thoughts. I almost sighed in relief while simultaneously cursing Pegasus' guards. Three of his guards jumped out of the truck, armed with tasers. I sprang into action, firing at as many of the robbed men's legs, hoping to cripple. Even after being electrocuted with the tasers and shot in the leg, the men continued to come forward. Did they even feel any pain?

"Onii-chan! Seto!" a voice called out to me. I turned to see Mokuba held hostage at sword point. Damn those useless bodyguards! I kept slashing left and right with my left hand while firing the gun with my right—but I was getting no closer to Mokuba.

Desperation made me faster—and more efficient. I broke my way through the mob and found myself in front of the truck, where the bastard had his sword at my brother's throat.

"Mokuba!" I cried out. I aimed the gun at the robbed man's head, ready to kill if necessary. I felt a hand on my shoulder—Pegasus' hand—but did not lower the gun.

"Don't do anything rash," he whispered.

"You lost the right to say anything in this situation," I hissed, my hand shaking slightly. I didn't doubt my ability to shoot only the robed man and not Mokuba, but killing what appeared to be the mob's leader would only result in a final swarm—one that I knew Pegasus would not survive. Why did I care what happened to that idiot, anyway? I needed to save Mokuba…

"Kaiba…" Pegasus muttered.

"What is it?"

"Well, the mob behind us just grew—there's about fifty now."

"And? Your point?"

"One gun isn't going to save us."

"I'm well aware of that."

"I didn't want to do this…but it looks like I have no choice," Pegasus muttered, "You might want to move aside."

"Wha…?" I began—only to stop in shock. Pegasus had stepped beside me, and without turning away from Mokuba, I could see him pushing his hair aside to reveal his left eye. Or where his left eye should have been. Instead of a biological eye, there was a golden eye—the very same eye insignia that had haunted me too many times recently.

"Return to the shadows from whence you came!" he cried out.

A bright light emitted from the eye, forcing me to shield my own eyes. I felt myself being thrown backwards as if by a forceful wind and had the wind knocked out of me.

Struggling to maintain consciousness, I watched in horror as the robbed men disappeared in puffs of black smoke. As I started to black out, I saw Pegasus collapse to the ground and Mokuba running towards him and me, calling out our names…


	10. Chapter 10

I woke up to the smell of incense. It was dimly lit, and I felt a thousand questions burning in my mouth. I tried to get up, but found that my body was not listening to me. I felt like lead—heavy, poisoned perhaps. And Mokuba…

"Mo…ku…ba…" I managed with lips that didn't want to move.

"You're awake," a familiar voice said. Since moving my lips had been such a disaster, I decided not to attempt moving any other appendage. I waited for her to come into my current line of vision—for the curator to come into my view.

"I used a sedative to calm your nerves. When I found you, your airways had been blocked shut—from the shock, I believe. I apologize for using more than the necessary amount, but the effects will wear off in around a half hour," she explained, coming into my eyesight.

She looked wearier than the last time I had seen her. Dark circles were underneath her eyes, and she wore no jewelry except the millennium necklace. As she surveyed me—no doubt considering my condition—something like relief passed through her features.

"Mo...kuba," I said again, finding it easier to move my mouth than the last time.

"Your brother is safe. I will send him in now that you are awake," she replied—and then patted my hair in what I could only guess was an affectionate way. I wanted to swat her hand away, but my arm would not budge.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried, running into the room.

"Mokuba," I said, feeling stupid that that was all I could manage to say.

"You're okay! I was so worried…you had stopped breathing, and there wasn't anything I could do…you were starting to turn blue," Mokuba said in a choked up voice, "But then she popped up and gave you something to drink—I dunno what it was—but then you started breathing again. She brought you and Pegasus here and said it would be safe here. Pegasus looked awful…he kept throwing up and is feverish now."

I managed to turn my neck to face curator Ishtar. She had saved us for reasons I did not understand. And it was obvious that her weary looks had developed from taking care of Pegasus and me. As much as I still did not trust her, for the moment she had my gratitude.

"Thank you," I said. She nodded in reply and then left the room, probably to take care of Pegasus.

Pegasus—that bastard had concealed the fact that he had a millennium item. Since when did he have the millennium eye? And what did he do to the robed men? After seeing them disappear like that—no it had to be a trick of my mind. I was losing consciousness fast that time, after all. But if it was my mind playing tricks on me, what happened to the mob? Were they also only a figment of my imagination?

And why did Ishizu Ishtar know to find us there? It was possible that she had been tracking us since we left the museum. But for what purpose? And if she truly meant us harm, there was no way she would go through these lengths to heal us. Unless she wanted us to drop our guard—but if it was our death she wanted, she could've just left us out there on the street.

Finding that I could move my limbs, I struggled to sit upright. I felt Mokuba supporting me.

"How are you feeling, Seto?" he asked, watching my expressions carefully.

"I've been worse," I replied gruffly, "Can you help me get to my feet?"

"Sure," he said, still looking at me in concern. We must have made a comical sight; a full-grown man leaning on a boy half his height…

"Can you take me to Pegasus?" I asked him. He nodded, and led me to the adjacent room.

Pegasus did look horrible. He was currently vomiting into the bowl that Ishtar was holding up to him. His face was paler than I had ever seen it, and he made no efforts to conceal his eye. If Ishtar had noticed it, she made no show of surprise. Probably she had already known. After wiping his mouth, Pegasus looked up and saw me.

"Hey," he said weakly, "You've looked better, Kaiba-boy."

"As have you," I retorted. He gave me a small smile, and then shuddered. Ishtar placed a fresh wet towel on his forehead.

I then remembered his response to the men I had killed by dropping the sign on them. He was beyond disgusted—at first I had thought his response was that of inexperience, of having never seen death—but I now knew differently. That eye of his had killed all those men—and it didn't look like the first time he had used it for that purpose.

"My bodyguards…are arranging a flight back to Japan. As soon as it's safe, we'll head back home," he said, once his shivering had subsided. Japan—it was possibly the safest place Mokuba could be.

"We're not leaving until you're better," I retorted, surprising even myself. When did I start caring about him? Since he had saved my life? He owed me as much, placing my brother in that much danger. The curator looked up at me and nodded.

"His fever has dropped from what it was earlier this morning. He will be better by evening. I suggest you leave then," she replied. I could see a glint of light flash across the millennium necklace.

"I'm not leaving until I have some answers from you," I said firmly, "I need to talk to you in private. Mokuba, keep an eye on Pegasus."

Mokuba looked surprised, but nodded. He probably knew from experience that when I used that tone, I meant business.

When the curator and I had entered the adjacent room, I shut the door behind us. Her eyes narrowed.

"Well, Mr. Kaiba, what else can I do for you today?" she asked.

"How long was I unconscious?" I asked.

"Two days," she replied, watching me for my expression.

"And Pegasus has been in that same condition?"

"Yes. But I know his fever will subside tonight."

"Just like you knew where to find us."

"I see that you are not as doubting of the necklace's power."

"After what I saw Pegasus do with that eye of his…"

She replied with silence. Feeling my weakened legs begin to give way, I began to make my way to the nearest chair. The curator pulled the chair closer to me, but made sure to not touch me directly. Good, she was learning fast.

"You know who was responsible for attacking us," I said, more as an accusation than a question.

"Yes, but it would be best if you did not know now," she replied. I stood up in fury and pushed her up against the wall.

"You're trying my patience," I hissed, "My brother was almost killed. If you have any idea who…"

"You are not strong enough yet," she replied levelly.

"What?" I snapped, stepping back from her sharp gaze. Then I remembered the words Muto had said in the alleyway…'You are not ready yet.'

"If you face him as you are now…I would only be seeing you to your death," she responded. Her usual strong, confident voice wavered slightly when she said this.

"Fine. What can I do to prepare then?" I asked after a brief awkward pause.

She looked up at me with an expression I could not read.

"You need a millennium item—and you need power," she replied.

"And where can I get one of these millennium items?" I asked.

"Yami Muto will be able to aid you with that," she replied.

"Muto," I muttered. I knew he was behind this. I turned to face her again.

"Why do you know so much about all this?" I asked, trying to probe carefully.

"I am part of the Tomb Keeper Clan that guards the pharaoh's tomb. Protecting the millennium items, and keeping them from ending up in the wrong hands has been our duty. But now that the pharaoh has been reborn…" she began.

"Pharaoh?"

"Yami Muto is the reincarnation of the pharaoh. His birth means only one thing: he is here to defeat the great evil that will rise again. An evil that he can only defeat with the aid of his magi—his loyal warriors," she replied.

We were returning to stories of ancient Egypt again, but as much as I disliked it—the answers I had wanted were here.

"So the reason those thugs attacked Pegasus and me...?"

"A way to weaken the pharaoh—eliminating his magi."

"So Pegasus and I are supposed to be the protectors of the reincarnation of the pharaoh?" I asked. I couldn't believe what was coming out of my mouth. And more so because of the serious tone of the conversation. But after the attack…

"Yes. And you, Mr. Kaiba, are crucial to the struggle against this evil," she replied.

"I see. And you? Is your role just to watch from the sidelines?" I asked.

"Yes and no. I am sorry, but I cannot answer that now," she replied cryptically. She was looking at me in a curious way that made me feel—uncomfortable. I cleared my throat and got to my feet.

"Thank you for all your help. If there is anything I can do for you…" I said, keeping any sarcasm out of my voice. I wanted her to understand that I honestly meant my gratitude—though why this was so important to me I had no idea.

"You will be returning the favor—a thousand fold, Seto," she replied. I felt my cheeks turn warm as she called me by my first name—out of embarrassment? —and I nodded, leaving the room in confusion.


	11. Chapter 11

I watched out of the tiny plane window as the city of Cairo became smaller and smaller. I was both relieved and worried as I saw the city disappear behind a layer of clouds. As I said goodbye to the curator, she handed me a slip of paper—her contact information—and looked at me with those azure eyes. I was holding onto the piece of paper in my fist, deciding whether or not to throw it out.

She had been a useful source of information by the end—but her vagueness worried me. I was glad to be leaving the city, but I knew that my pursuers would follow Mokuba and me anywhere, even to Japan. I needed to attack the main perpetrator—and for that I needed a millennium item—and power. Power…

"I'm going to take back Kaiba Corporations," I declared. Pegasus looked up from his laptop, raising an eyebrow at my remark. Muto turned away from the window and looked at me as well.

"As if there was any doubt about that," Pegasus said, "Just let me know when, so I can get the Duel Monsters project up and running."

I nodded. Now, I thought, to the second important piece. I reluctantly turned to Muto and said simply, "The millennium item."

He looked genuinely surprised. While Pegasus had filled him in regarding the attack, even revealing to Muto the millennium eye that filled his left eye socket, I had chosen to remain silent about what Ishizu Ishtar had spoken to me about.

"You've been doing research," he said.

"It's what you came to give me, right? Well, hand it over," I demanded. He cracked a smile—then started to laugh. If I hadn't believed he was the reincarnation of a pharaoh before, I believed it even less now. There was nothing royal about him at all—including his ridiculous laugh.

"I repeat what I said earlier—you're not ready. I'll hold onto it for now," he said. I clenched my fist tighter, fighting the urge to punch him. His condescension was infuriating.

"I don't understand why you're being so stubborn, Yami," Pegasus commented, "It's obvious that the Rare Hunters believe us to be enough of a threat already."

"Does everyone but me know exactly what's going on?" I spat. Pegasus and Muto turned to look at me.

"Yep," they responded in unison and then turned to smile at each other.

"Mind filling in your personal magi in on the situation, my pharaoh" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I even made a mock bow towards Muto, who was starting to laugh.

"I had no idea you had a sense of humor," he remarked.

"It means he's very close to losing his patience completely," Pegasus said, joining Muto's laughter. I felt very grateful that Mokuba was asleep on the second floor. I would have hated to lose face like this in front of him.

"I don't know how much you know, Kaiba," he began, "Once I turned sixteen my father told me that I was the reincarnation of the pharaoh from Egypt 5000 years ago. At first I was skeptical about the whole story, but when I was given this millennium puzzle—as individual pieces in a box—I put together the puzzle in under a minute, as if it was something I knew from my subconscious memory.

"I started having dreams—not usual fading dreams—but vivid, realistic dreams. And if you can believe it, all of them were about you, Kaiba. I don't think I truly believed my father's story until I saw you. And you were completely different from the person I had seen in those dreams.

"I believe my father said that his research had revealed that the millennium items chose their owners, not the other way around. You were chosen—without a doubt—but not the person you are now. Therefore I can't give it to you now," he concluded.

"Fine. But don't expect me to get involve in your magic games without the millennium item. There's no way I'm putting Mokuba through that again," I said, and turned away from Muto and faced Pegasus.

"Your eye," I said simply.

"My father was in the military, so we moved a lot. I lived in Cairo for three years. In the last year, I came across a vender selling the eye. I don't know how it got there—but as I kept looking at it, I felt like it should be mine. Hurt like hell when I finally put it in. Didn't have a choice at the time. Lost my left eye—but well, came to find out it would make me useful for something big later on. Can't say I like its power too much, though," he said.

I scoffed at his final remark. Dislike was an understatement.

"What does it do, exactly?" I asked.

"In the ancient writings, it is said that one of the powers of the millennium eye is to send souls to the shadow realm," Muto said, "Though, from what you told me, you did more than that during the attack."

"I learned how to amplify the eye's power—to send both body and soul to the shadow realm," Pegasus said softly.

"Meaning that there is no possible chance for return," Muto said.

"Yes. In essence—it kills," Pegasus, stated in a matter-of-fact voice, "I've tried to unlearn this technique…but the eye has a mind of its own when I use it…"

"Seems like you acquired your millennium item before you were ready," Muto mused aloud.

"I can handle it," I cut in.

"Your arrogance is amazing," Pegasus said, turning to me, "Trust me, I wish I hadn't received the millennium eye when I did. It's not exactly a fun item, you know. It's a burden, Kaiba boy."

"You need to conquer your own demons before you take on a millennium item," Muto agreed.

"Are you suggesting I have personal demons?" I demanded.

"Absolutely," they both replied in unison.

"Whatever made you stop breathing on our flight here…" Pegasus began.

"Will you let that go already?" I snapped.

Even without facing them, I could sense the shaking their heads at me. I clenched my fist again—only to hear the paper with Ishizu Ishtar's contact information crunch further. I opened my fist and stared at the sorry state the sheet of paper was now in. I pressed out the cresses. A phone number, an email address. That was all. Not even an address. I frowned. I took out my cell phone and stored her number after Mokuba's cell phone number. Just in case.

"So you even got her number, huh?" Pegasus asked slyly.

I fumbled with my phone, stuffing it and the piece of my paper quickly into my pocket.

"Just in case I don't get all the information I want from you two," I replied. Pegasus ignored me.

"She's a beauty, isn't she? A little too proud for my taste, though. That's probably your type, though, eh Kaiba boy?" Pegasus asked.

"I told you, it's not like that," I muttered, opening up my laptop—anything to tune out his ridiculous chatter. I absentmindedly opened my email, and found myself sending her a simple email with only my name and with the subject line 'Thank you.'


	12. Chapter 12

Once I set my mind on something, there was little that could stop me. I began investing more heavily—I needed money to buy back Kaiba Corporations. I slowly increased my earnings; I couldn't go from obscure to high profile in a short period of time, after all. That might draw too much attention to me at a time when I was still quite vulnerable.

My activities were did not go unnoticed, however. While treading with caution, I needed attention back to me—to the true heir of Kaiba Corporations—before I made my move. My personal power and authority needed to precede my role as CEO; I needed to demonstrate my power as I was now without the influence of the company in order to secure my position as the head of the company.

After some light research, I discovered that the current owners of the company were five goons that had worked in the upper echelons when Gozaburo was in charge. They called themselves the Big Five, and had split the shares of the company evenly between them. Impressive, I thought, that they were getting any work done at all with that system. I scanned through their profiles—Gansley, the VP of Business Strategy, Crump, the VP of Accounting, Johnson, legal advisor, Nesbitt, the VP of technological advancement and research and Lector, my stepfather's personal assistant.

None of them seemed like a real threat, but I knew better than to underestimate my enemies. They were the type to do anything for power—their greed had always come before their pride. I scanned through their resumes, trying to think of the best way to throw them out of power, permanently. I needed to crush them, so that they would pose no threat in the future.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried, coming into my room. I shut my laptop and looked up at him. He knew that I had something in the works since we had come back from Cairo, but as usual, he knew better than to probe into my business affairs. He had also kept from asking me anything about the attack of the robed men. Perhaps he was trying to forget the whole incident—or maybe he was helping me forget.

"What is it, Mokuba?" I asked.

"Well, Max just called and asked if you were free this coming Saturday. He said he and Yami were planning on hanging out together…" Mokuba explained. I groaned. Ever since we had come back from Cairo, Pegasus and Muto had treated me like we were best buddies or something. They had easily won Mokuba over—and now he was even calling them by their first names!

"I'll let them know tomorrow at school," I replied. I never failed to meet up with them, thinking each time that it had something to do with the Millennium Items, but was always proved wrong. They seemed to think it was perfectly acceptable to just waste time on things like movies and dinner as if the attack at Cairo had never happened. It might have been three months since our trip, but I had not forgotten. Nor had Muto changed his attitude about my 'readiness' to receive the Millennium Item. It didn't matter. If I could secure Kaiba Corporations, the resources in my hands would be more than enough to take down whoever it was who attacked us.

I just needed to win back my company from these brainless goons, and I needed to think up a strategy to do so. And I would do whatever it takes…

An alert message popped up at the bottom left screen of my window: you have new mail from Ishizu Ishtar. Running a hand through my hair, I clicked on my email. This had been another new addition to my routine as well. The constant back-and-forth of emails between her and me began, just because I had sent that blank email with only my name. At first she had asked about our health and condition—a normal gesture of politeness considering the condition we had left.

If she spoke truthfully about her necklace, it was unnecessary. I answered politely—which led to a series of emails about her daily life: how the new museum exhibit was going, the popularity of the shadow duels concept among all ages, and one email was only about the weather. I didn't have time to waste on this—but for some reason, I didn't stop responding. It was as if she knew that I would reply, regardless of what she wrote. And that pissed me off.

How are you, Seto?—I twitched at her use of my first name, but it was too late to ask her to use Kaiba instead—Things are going well here as usual. The museum exhibit has attracted quite a bit of attention among scholars and amateurs alike.

You would be interested in knowing that some of the visitors included the Rare Hunters. I do not believe that they have anything planned for the present, but their presence at the exhibit does worry me. Please be on your guard and take care. –Ishizu

Rare Hunters. Where had I heard that name before? I frowned. That's right. Pegasus had used the term on the flight back from Cairo. I had forgotten to research the term before. Now was a good time as any.

Knowing that typing 'rare hunters' in the search engine would give me mostly useless sites, I decided to probe Ishizu about the matter further. Finally, I thought, my patience with her useless emails will be rewarded.

Ishizu—if she was going to use her first name, then it was only right that I use hers—glad to hear that the exhibit is going well. I am curious about the Rare Hunters. Who are they and how are they related to my brother and me? Are they the ones who attacked us in Cairo? Thanks for your help as usual. –Kaiba

Satisfied that my email did not seem too cold nor too familiar, I hit send, and returned to the window detailing Kaiba Corporations' activities. Apparently, with the split management, the company wasn't doing as well. I surveyed the company's quarterly gains. Since my stepfather's death, the company was taking a nosedive in profits—probably a combination of poor management and a decrease in interest in weaponry. Recently, the company had to layoff about a third of their workers as well.

Hmm, the situation was already ready for me. I smiled. My mind was racing with ideas. I needed shares from the company. And a way to influence the workers at Kaiba Corporations. And I needed to do more research about the Big Five. Now, if I could use Industrial Illusions to my advantage…


	13. Chapter 13

Dressed in a plain blue suit and tie, I strode into the Kaiba Corporations main building. The security officer at the gate looked at me, and demanded an ID. I handed my school ID over the man. I almost smiled at the way he was about to drop the card in shock.

"M-m-m-m-is-ter Kaiba! If you had said you were coming, we could have had an escort for you," the man said apologetically.

I waved my hand in dismissal.

"No need. My business won't take long," I said sharply, making the man even more nervous.

Good. The reputation I had spent the past half year building was serving me well. With careful maneuvering, I had bought several startup IT companies, and used their resources to hire the former employees of Kaiba Corporations. With unprecedented speed, I had merged the companies together, and formed a small collaboration with Industrial Illusions.

I smiled when I thought to how easily the business deal with Pegasus had gone.

"Kaiba boy! I hear you've been busy buying yourself some companies! It's good to see you back in business," he said, slinging an arm around me. By now, I had gotten used to his ridiculous habit of invading my personal space every time he spoke with me and made no effort to shrug him away.

"I said I was going to take back Kaiba Corporations. I am not one to go back on my word," I replied.

"You're definitely going about it faster than I had expected. But I guess you're not the son of Gozaburo Kaiba for nothing. I've been working on the Duel Monsters concept more—here's some of the sketches for monster cards," he said excitedly, shoving a pile of papers in my face, "This one here is the Dark Magician, you know the one we saw at the museum. I'm thinking of making his outfit a brighter purple than the real one—makes it more cartoon friendly, don't you think? And cartoons have a special place in my heart…"

"Yeah, yeah. Now, I'm going to merge the small startups into one. I know Industrial Illusions mostly makes collaborations with large corporations, however, the expertise of the unique group of companies I've bought…" I began.

"No need to explain further," Pegasus interrupted, "Just send me an official document to hand to my father. If it's from you, I doubt he'll even read it before he accepts it."

I gave him one of my rare smiles, causing him to look at me in shock, before handing him the document I had prepared.

"I've detailed the project proposal, along with the details of each company I will be merging together here. I trust you to take care of it," I said.

"I won't let you down," he said, suddenly serious. And I knew he hadn't forgotten Cairo, either—the nightmare we had gone through together.

"Thank you, Max," I said softly, before heading back to class.

The collaboration was serving me well. A small project—simple hologram technology that used a fraction of the space that Industrial Illusion's current hologram technology utilized—was an instant hit. The collaboration with Industrial Illusions had been easy enough to make, and easy enough to utilize. Too easy, I thought.

I had slowly bought shares of Kaiba Corporation with the profits made through the hologram project. The reason for my visit to the headquarters today was the shares. I now single-handedly owned 43% of Kaiba Corporation. And that was obviously a source of stress for the Big Five. Thanks to the protection of Industrial Illusions, my small collaboration of companies was saved from Kaiba Corporation's merciless takeover—which I had seen done to many small companies while shadowing my stepfather. Connections were a very useful tool.

"Seto Kaiba, thank you for gracing us with your presence," Gansley said as I walked into the conference room.

What an imposing setup, I thought, unshaken. The Big Five were seated around a half table, facing a single chair in the center—my spot. If they thought intimidation would work on me—they had another thing coming.

"Save your pleasantries. I know why you asked me to come. And my answer is no," I snapped.

"Here is the money for your shares. Since you expressed in the past that you had no interest in this company, this should be the most viable option for you—and us," Crump said, giving me a glare that basically stated that I would take the money if I knew what was good for me.

"That will be unnecessary. I have gained the shares of this company through legal measures. Now if you'll excuse me…" I stood up to leave.

"If you do not comply with our—request—we may need to work with your brother instead," Lector warned. I knew immediately what threat was behind his words. The irritation I had been feeling until now flared into anger.

"If you so touch my brother—I will make sure this company meets its utter ruin," I hissed, and turned on my heel. Of course it would be Lector who would target Mokuba; he was the closest to my stepfather and knew from observing me that Mokuba was the one thing I truly cared about—that he was my weakness.

But his threat had put me more on my guard than before. I needed to act faster—before they could act against me, the ones who had known me at my most vulnerable. The image of my stepfather rose in my mind, and I felt my breath catch again. His stern gaze that would freeze my blood as I waited for his next punishment, trying to figure out what I had done wrong…

No, not now, I thought anxiously, striding out of Kaiba Corporation's headquarters feeling dizzy. I reached my car and while sitting in the driver's seat, I could feel my pulse going out of control, sweat lining my brow. I tried to breathe, but it felt like something was stuck in my throat.

Breathe, I commanded myself, panic filling my mind. I reached for my cell phone, and hit speed dial.

"Mo…ku…" I managed, before I felt everything turn dark.


	14. Chapter 14

I'm in a hospital, I thought stupidly, as I heard the beeping sound of monitors in the background. I opened my eyes slowly—to see Muto, Pegasus, Mokuba, and to my surprise, Kisara seated in various locations in the small room.

"Onii-chan," Mokuba said, getting to his feet as soon as he saw that I was awake.

"Hi, Mokuba," I said, "Thanks for getting my call."

Mokuba shook his head.

"I was so scared. You sounded like you were barely breathing…and I had no idea where you were, either! I called Pegasus, who called your secretary, to find out that you had gone to Kaiba Corporations," Mokuba said quickly. He looked like he had aged another few years.

"I'm sorry," I said in a low voice to Mokuba alone.

"Mokuba made an appointment for you with the psychologist," Muto said. I resisted the urge to sigh. Why did they always push this on me?

"My head's fine. I don't need to see a shrink," I retorted.

"Kaiba, you've been out for a day and a half. The doctors were afraid that you were going to go into a coma," Kisara said gently. I looked up at her—and was surprised to find that she looked as if she had been crying. I turned away from her, feeling guilty and wondered when I had accumulating so many people who—who what? Cared about me? Now that just sounded silly. Clearly they all wanted something from me; Pegasus wanted a business partnership with me, Muto wanted me to become his magi, Kisara—I have no idea, but she must want something…

"Well, here are the class notes from yesterday," she said, placing a notebook on the desk beside the bed, "I'd better get going for swim practice. Let me know if you need anything."

I watched her long, blue hair swish behind her as she left the room. I turned to face Pegasus watching me closely.

"What?" I asked.

"She was in hysterics when the doctor said you might go into a coma. She really likes you, you know," Pegasus said, his expression completely serious.

"She doesn't know me," I responded, "So, do you two have nothing to do or something? The hospital isn't a fun place to spend your time."

"Gee, I dunno, one of my good friends wasn't breathing when we found him, and then might have gone into a coma. I thought skipping school was worth that," Muto responded.

Friend? Muto thought of me as a friend? How pathetic. My eyes narrowed at his tone. He seemed almost angry. I looked up and saw that although his mien was the same as usual, his eyes were blazing.

I cleared my throat, feeling uncomfortable. The tension in the room was palpable. I was grateful when Mokuba walked in with the doctor.

"Mr. Kaiba, I am glad to see you awake. We are planning on running the following scans—with your consent, of course. Here are the documents. Please sign here after reviewing the documents," the doctor said. The nurse walked in to change the IV as I scanned the documents. I would have preferred to leave the hospital as soon as possible, but with the peanut gallery around me, I doubted that was an option, and signed the document.

"How long will the tests take?" I asked.

"It will require multiple visits, since we want to track your condition. Each visit should not exceed an hour," the doctor responded. Great, just what I needed—another unwelcome addition to my life. I nodded.

Mokuba looked happy that I had agreed to the tests, and Muto looked less angry than before. What had I done to have my own posse?

We left the hospital shortly after. Kisara's notes were in my hand. I turned to the two idiots following me home.

"Is there a reason you two are following me?" I demanded of Pegasus and Muto.

"Well, school's over, and we thought this would be a good chance to check out where you live," Pegasus said nonchalantly. I rolled my eyes, but held the door open for the two of them once we reached my home.

"Hm, I had thought that you would live somewhere—more grand," Pegasus commented.

It was true that our modest apartment was small, but it had the necessities—two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. After living in a huge mansion under Gozaburo's watch, it felt almost refreshing to be in an entirely different living situation.

Mokuba brought out snacks—I winced as I saw that all he had brought out were popcorn and skittles—and turned to copy Kisara's notes. I was surprised to find her handwriting had an elegance to it, but wasn't superfluous either. Efficient but graceful…

"Kaiba," Muto said, interrupting my thoughts, "If you don't mind, I'd like to try something."

"A little more specific would be nice," I replied sarcastically.

"Using the power of my millennium puzzle, I can try to remove the shadows in your mind," he replied.

"Ha, and I can read minds," I retorted, "Look. Thanks for your concern, but…"

"Just let him try," Pegasus interrupted.

I sighed. If it would shut them up, then it was worth a try, I decided.

"Fine. But only once," I conceded.

"Alright. I'd like you to close your eyes," Muto said. I looked at him suspiciously.

"I'm not going to kiss you or anything. Stop being so tense," he joked.

"You're about to mess with my head. I don't think I can be anything but tense," I muttered and closed my eyes.

"Open your mind," Muto commanded.

Moments later, I felt what I could only describe as a strong flood inside my head. It felt like a current of water swirling inside my skull. There was no pain, only a strange sensation behind my eyes. I felt myself relaxing in a way I had not in years, and I felt lighter—freer.

"You can open your eyes now," I heard Muto say.

I slowly opened my eyes. The lights seemed suddenly too bright.

"Kaiba?" Muto asked.

"What did you do?" I asked, bringing my hand to my eyes to shield myself from the light.

"I tried to remove the source of your nightmares, he responded, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah. I just—the lights are too bright," I responded.

"Nothing else?" Muto probed.

"Not that I can tell," I said and looked up at him. Something in my expression seemed to please him. He smiled—even his eyes were brighter than normal.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied, still smiling. Pegasus was smiling as well.

"Do I have something on my face?" I demanded.

"You look happier, Seto," Mokuba said after a moment's pause. Happier? What did that mean?

I got up to take a look in the mirror. Nothing obvious seemed different. Same clean-cut hair, sharp blue eyes…what was it that seemed different to all of them? And then I realized I was doing something I had not done in ages—I was smiling. Not a small smile, but a broad smile, the kind Mokuba gave me every morning. And I had to admit, I didn't mind the look at all.


	15. Chapter 15

"Good morning, Kaiba!" Kisara called out to me as usual, her long blue hair flowing behind her. I watched her with a newfound clarity. Since last evening—whatever Muto had done—everything around me seemed sharper, brighter. Kisara was no exception. Her bright brown eyes, her hair, and her smile…

"Morning," I replied. Her smile widened. There was a twinkle in her eyes whenever she spoke to me, and a bounce in every movement she made. Before I would have dismissed her for having too much energy. But today—the energy she embodied was…intoxicating.

"I hope the notes were helpful," she said. I nodded, clearing my throat.

"Yes…Muto and Pegasus forgot to copy them yesterday, so…" I said.

"No problem! I'll get them from you during lunch, then?" she asked. I nodded and headed to class, remembering what Pegasus had said to me in the hospital: 'She was in hysterics when the doctor said you might go into a coma. She really likes you, you know'

What had I said about that again? Something about her not knowing me. Maybe that was because I never gave her the chance. I shook my head. Did I really need this now? Thanks to my unexpected hospital visit, I had been away from my business for a whole day. I needed to act fast. Now that the Big Five were altered of my presence…

"What are you standing around daydreaming about, hm?" Pegasus said, sauntering up to me, "Thinking about Kisara? You seem to get girls flocking to you without having to do anything—Kisara, and that curator…"

Ishizu Ishtar. For some reason, I hadn't heard from her for the past for days. I had been particularly waiting for this email—to learn more about the Rare Hunters—but had received nothing. Nothing to worry about, I thought, she had probably 'foreseen' that she wouldn't email me during this time and is just blindly following that. For some reason, I felt pissed off by the lack of her reply. Had I gotten that used to her frequent emails?

"Kaiba?" Muto called to me.

"Muto," I replied, following him into the classroom. The look he gave me before he sat down was quite the opposite of the first glare he had given me. I leaned in closer towards him and muttered, "So, the millennium item?"

He laughed, indicating to the flock of girls that had turned to gawk at us once I had learned in closer to Muto. I groaned, throwing a sharp glare at the flock of girls. But my glare only increased their excitement. Damn, now I'd have to wait till later to discuss the millennium item with Muto.

Pegasus, who was watching the whole exchange, waved at the group of girls, causing them to squeal in delight.

"Damn flirt," I muttered. He had to make the situation worse by wrapping his arm around my shoulders and leaning dangerously near my face.

"If you don't get off me in five seconds, I'm going to sock you in the face," I warned.

"Aw, you're no fun," he replied, getting out of my personal space.

Luckily class started shortly after, and somewhat ironically, the gaggle of girls was shooed away by our airhead of a homeroom teacher. Somehow, I had expected her to join the group of swooning girls. I opened up my laptop as usual. Thanks to the management structure I had selected for my small company, even in my absence, no major setbacks had occurred.

As I scanned through my emails with my right hand, I took notes with my left. I could see Pegasus' head glued to the desk—I wondered then if he had slept at all at the hospital—and knew that he would need the notes later, even if I had no need for them. I replied to my work emails in short sentences. Reluctantly, I appreciated my stepfather's ability to find highly skilled workers. None of the former Kaiba Corporation employees disappointed me, but they would need to step up their game if they wanted to continue working for me.

I looked up from my laptop when I heard the teacher's voice calling my name.

"Kaiba, could you solve this problem for us?" she asked.

I looked up at her—and met her level gaze. Her gaze told me clearly that she had overlooked my lack of attention in class only because I could perform when the situation called for it. I turned my gaze to the blackboard and suppressed a smile. Too easy, I thought, and walked up to the front of the class. Within a few seconds, I had solved the 31-step problem, filling the board with my work. I had been able to do the problem in my head in significantly fewer steps, but I doubted that the rest of the class would be able to follow the shortcuts I had used.

"Thank you," she said. I surveyed her for a second. I supposed I could see what about her had half of the class drooling over her. She had platinum blond hair with what looked like natural curls, framing a porcelain doll-like face with shocking blue eyes. Of course, I thought wryly, most of the guys probably didn't even look at her face often. Their attention was most likely fixated on her well-endowed chest.

I didn't find anything special about it however. My thoughts started drifting to azure eyes and sky blue hair…

I definitely needed to speak with Muto later. He had obviously messed with my head in ways I had not expected. In ways I didn't want it to be changed. I looked away from the laptop to the sky outside. It was peaceful. I shut my eyes, enjoying the normalcy of my day, and found myself hoping it would be like this everyday.

Muto had definitely done something—I was turning into a regular sap. I smiled. I guess it was fine.

"Kaiba!" Kisara called out to me, breaking my thoughts. I turned to face her with what I assumed was a dazed look.

"Ah! How rare—you've actually been spacing out," she commented, laughing, "Should we wake him up?"

I looked at Pegasus, who looked close to drooling on his notebook.

"Oy, Pegasus," I said, whacking him on the head with my notebook.

"Huh? What?" he said looking around stupidly.

"Your fangirls are watching," I muttered, despite the fact that no one but Muto, Pegasus, Kisara and I were left in the classroom.

He popped his head up and spouted a ridiculous smile, until he realized that I had lied.

"Argh, Kaiba boy!" he said, playfully throwing a light punch at me. I easily dodged him, watching him fall over as he tripped over the leg of a desk. And then I started laughing—and kept laughing until tears started to come out of my eyes. I heard Kisara and Muto, and finally Pegasus join in.

I heard Mokuba's voice in my head: 'You'll be able to make some friends and have fun!'

Indeed, I thought while laughing, friends and fun indeed. As I felt my abdomen hurt from laughing too much, I slowed my laughter. Breathless by the time I finished, I saw Kisara watching me closely.

"I knew your true smile would be amazing," she said—and to my surprise, hoisted herself on her toes and pressed her lips to mine.

"Will you go out with me?" she asked.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I was still in shock at her action—and her lips, which had been soft and cold. Dammit, why couldn't I say anything? My mind suddenly flashed to Cairo—to the robed men, and to Ishizu. I couldn't involve her in all of that…

"What he's trying to say is that he'd love to," Pegasus replied, watching Kisara and me with rapture. I suddenly found my voice.

"Don't answer for me," I snapped and then turned to Kisara—whom I was finding unable to look at in the eye—and said, "I need to think about it."

"Ok," she said. I sneaked a quick look her. Her face was flushed, and my response had not upset her, at least.

"Well, um, I'm going to grab lunch with my friends," she said. I returned her notes—Pegasus and Muto would have to make do with my abbreviated notes—and watched her leave the classroom, her sky blue hair swishing behind her. Truth be told, I didn't know what to think about her. I just hadn't paid any attention to her before—she had been an annoyance, nothing more. Now she was…what?

My life was slowly turning—normal? I was starting to feel too comfortable, and it was beginning to make me uneasy. I was letting my guard too much, enjoying the present moment. From past experience, I knew others had the luxury of doing so—but not me. Lector's threat still lingered in my memory. I needed to prepare myself.

"So," I said after a moment's pause, watching Muto search his bag for lunch money, "the millennium item?"

"You're ready," he responded, looking up at me. I felt a flood of relief, which I tried to stop partway through. Was I relieved that he had finally accepted me? Or was it because I would finally receive the millennium item?

"Well, hand it over," I said, holding out my hand.

"I don't bring the millennium items with me to school—with the exception of my puzzle, of course," he responded, "How does bringing it with me on Saturday to our usual meeting spot sound?"

"Too public," I said, my eyes narrowing.

"I agree with Kaiba boy on that count," Pegasus chimed in.

"Hm. Then my place?" Muto asked.

"Too unprotected," Pegasus replied. I turned to him, surprised, before remembering that he was the heir of Industrial Illusions. Like me, he was no stranger to attacks from enemies. And I began to wonder how he was able to be so carefree.

"Let's meet at my place. I'll have my guards escort you from your homes," Pegasus concluded. Muto nodded in agreement. I mused over it for a moment.

"I'm bringing Mokuba as well," I said.

"Of course."

"But I don't want him to know anything about the millennium items."

"It might be better if he knows. He would be better prepared," Muto interjected.

"No," I said firmly, ending the conversation. After a moment of silence, Pegasus spoke up.

"Then, I'll have him look through my father's personal Industrial Illusions' antique collection or something," he replied. I nodded in thanks. Mokuba—Kisara—I wasn't able to let either of them become further involved. I smiled. I was looking forward to this Saturday—the day I was hoping to have all the power I needed to face my unknown enemy.


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry for not updating for a few days! I just hit blah mode in writing, which took some manga reading and anime watching to recover from. Enjoy! Please R+R!

With the knowledge that the millennium item would soon be mine, I worked towards obtaining the final piece of the puzzle for the power I would need in order to destroy the bastard that had dared to attack my brother and me in Cairo. Kaiba Corporations. I had perused through Mokuba's stock holdings—I had told him to keep his shares from the company in case of emergencies—and was surprised that he had 10% of the company's holdings. More than enough for me to buy the company if I combined our shares.

This had been too easy. Running a hand through my hair, I decided caution was best. I leaned back in my chair. This wasn't like me at all. I was waiting—for what? I decided it was better to stay busy, to keep myself occupied so that I did not relax too much in my newfound peaceful life. I knew how easily peace could be broken, and I intended to be ready for it.

I opened up my email, expecting nothing but business emails, and was surprised to find one from Ishizu. Opening up the email, I was disappointed that it contained only one sentence: 'Move with caution, the enemy will make its move soon.' I clenched my fists. Goddamn that woman, I thought, becoming irritated. Why did she have to be so vague?

I began typing furiously, then stopped to read what I had written. I almost cracked a smile at the tone of the email. I sound like a rejected lover, I thought wryly. I deleted the draft of the email and decided to tackle writing a response once I had calmed down. Calmed down? What had Muto done to me anyway? I felt like I was riding an emotional rollercoaster these days—something that would be my weakness for sure.

The phone rang. I started, surprised at the sound. The only people who knew my home phone number were Mokuba and I—and we were both at home. I frowned and picked up the phone.

"Yes?" I asked, deciding that it was better to be rude than reveal my name.

"Seto Kaiba, I presume," the voice on the other end drawled. My eyes narrowed.

"How did you get this number? And who are you?" I demanded. The voice was definitely making me uneasy. I felt a chill run down my spine as he spoke once again.

"I have my resources. As for who I am, be thankful you do not know yet," the voice barked, followed by harsh, grating laughter. I was quickly losing my patience.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but if you called just to waste my time…" I began.

"I assure you, Seto Kaiba, I will not be wasting your time. Enjoy your time now, while it lasts." I heard the phone click as the connection was cut. I wanted to slam the phone onto the receiver, but remembered Mokuba was at home. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Whoever this was had already determined my home address and phone number. Mokuba would definitely not be safe anymore. I needed to act fast. I picked up my cell phone and speed dialed Pegasus' number.

"Well, this is a surprise, Kaiba boy," Pegasus said as he answered my call, "What's the occasion?"

"I need your help," I said. I gathered that my tone of voice was enough to warn Pegasus of the seriousness of the situation. Both Ishizu's email and the recent phone call had woken me up from the happy daze I had been for the past day.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I need you to look after Mokuba for some time," I replied, lowering my voice so that Mokuba—who was upstairs—would not hear me, "My house is no longer safe."

"I see. That won't be a problem—I have security enough. But what will you tell Mokuba?"

"That I'm going on a business trip. It won't be completely a lie, either. I don't intend to take advantage of your hospitality for too long. Once Kaiba Corporations is mine, I will be able to protect Mokuba myself," I replied.

"We've got your back, too, you know—Yami and me," Pegasus said after a brief pause. I paused, feeling a strange lump form in my throat. Clearing my throat, I responded.

"Thanks."

After discussing the logistics of Mokuba's stay, I hung up the phone, reflecting on the position I was in. I was asking help from my stepfather's rival company's heir in order to protect my only blood relative. In addition, I had no idea who had threatened me on the phone and it only further added to my uneasiness. I needed answers, but I also needed to ensure that Mokuba would be safe. There was no way I was allowing something like Cairo to happen again.

Using what limited technology I had on hand, I set up a tracking system through the phone to determine the location of any incoming calls within a certain radius. I was surprised to find that the call had been made fairly close to here—within Domino City at least. The voice had not sounded familiar, but the laugh—where had I heard it before?

Mokuba came downstairs as I was tweaking the apparatus.

"Whatcha doing, Seto?" he asked.

"Working on blocking telemarketers," I replied, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh. Is that who you were talking to before? You sounded angry," Mokuba said, sitting down on the couch.

"Yeah," I said simply, deciding to let him think what he wanted of my strange behavior.

"You're not telling me something," he finally said after a moment of silence. I looked up and sighed.

"It was a threat call. I don't know from whom, so while I work on finding out who it is, you'll be staying with Pegasus," I said. So much for my plan of not telling him anything.

"No," he said flatly.

"Mokuba, I'm not taking no for an answer," I snapped. The look in my eyes must have told him volumes. He turned away. I saw him clench his fists.

"You're always doing things on your own. I want to help," he said. I stood up, abandoning the tracking system for the moment, and sat down on the couch beside him.

"Don't worry about me, okay?" I said, patting his head lightly.

"Will Max and Yami be with you?" he asked. I thought about that. Most probably the two of them would link this to the threat from Cairo and accompany me whether I liked it or not.

"Most probably, yes," I replied.

"Then it's okay," Mokuba conceded, leaning his head against my chest. As I watched his small frame drift off to sleep, I thought to myself that I would be his protector—no matter what it took.


	17. Chapter 17

After dropping Mokuba at Pegasus' place—I had forbidden him to even go to school for the time being—I went to Kaiba Corp. With Mokuba's consent, I had added his shares to mine, causing alarm in Kaiba Corporations. The Big Five had personally called me at my home, trying a range of techniques—requesting, begging, threatening—to relinquish my hold on the company. But it was too late. I would have control of Kaiba Corporations.

I entered the headquarters, and was immediately greeted by security personal. There was no mistaking me this time. News of my takeover had spread like wildfire—both within Kaiba Corporations and without. I walked into the Big Five's office area, my coat addressing my presence behind me.

I made sure to look impressive today—the day I would officially own this company—with a white trench coat with small metallic stubs. The coat flailed out in the back, making my presence seem even more imposing. I was holding only a single briefcase in my hand, containing my laptop and documents securing the company. In addition, I had had my business lawyer procure my stepfather's will, which had explicitly stated his desire to make me his heir to both his properties and his company.

Although I had verbally refused my inheritance—my act had been on the news for weeks—I did not formally sign away my position or money. Thinking back on it, it had been to avoid further publicity in the courts, but I was glad of that decision. It had made reclaiming the company fairly easy with no legal complications that the Big Five could utilize to their advantage. I decided that the Big Five no longer posed a significant threat to me, and I considered even hiring them. They were capable men if they had an intelligent boss, after all. Which I certainly was, by all means.

There was no one in the office area, which surprised me. My eyes narrowed in suspicion. They had no right to fire any of my personnel now. Where was everyone? I had half a mind to let myself into the CEO's office and begin work without making any effort to announce myself to the Big Five.

I heard a click to my left, and ducked, avoiding the bullet that was aimed at my head. Shit, I didn't think they would stoop so low, I thought. I grabbed my gun from underneath my jacket and—while still looking forward—aimed the gun to my left. I could sense that they were all around me; black suits, hired no doubt by the Big Five. I cursed myself for being so damn unprepared for this situation—my old self would definitely have expected this and been more than prepared—and fired.

I heard a cry of pain, and knew my bullet had hit its mark. I didn't hesitate, firing left and right, weaving in and out of flying bullets. Suddenly, three of them stepped in front of me, guns at point blank. I swung my trench coat, creating a vacuum, stopping the bullets as they were fired. Before, I was firing only to injure. Such a dramatic attempt at my life had caused something to snap inside of me. I fired at their forehead, shooting all three of them through the head in succession.

Dammit, I thought, just the welcoming party I need. I reloaded and thought about how grateful I was to Pegasus for watching Mokuba right now. This was exactly the kind of situation I would have least wanted him to be in. I fired at every sign of movement, and after what felt like hours, I sensed no more of the suits. I surveyed my surroundings. In the end, I had to kill of them—the ones I had injured had returned to attack me again. I was forcefully reminded of Cairo, and felt the bile rise in my throat. I'm turning as soft as Pegasus, I thought, coldly staring at the lifeless bodies around me.

I turned sharply as I heard the door to the executive office open. As expected, it was the press. I must have made quite the sight—about two-dozen bodies around me, soaked in blood from head to toe, holding a gun in my left hand—and knew that the press would have a field day. I could hear the frantic clicking of their cameras and tried to tune out their incessant questions. I emphasized that I would be providing no comment at the moment, but would be issuing a public announcement regarding the situation. I was losing my touch. My sharp tone and cold demeanor was not turning the press away, and I could feel myself becoming nauseous from the smell of blood that surrounded me.

I was rescued by the most unlikely of individuals—Ishizu Ishtar. I watched as she confidently strode through the angry swarm of reporters and came towards me.

"You have certainly looked better," she remarked. She turned to face the press and waved a document in her hands.

"An investigation concerning this assault on the new Kaiba Corporations CEO, Seto Kaiba is under way. More details will follow, including a personal announcement from Seto Kaiba himself. If you would excuse us," she announced, waving for the police to enter.

As I watched the reporters being shooed away by the police, I gazed at Ishizu with gratitude. I felt exhausted and irritated, but also glad to see the curator.

"Why is it that you're always the one to rescue me?" I asked. Before she could respond, police and investigators swarmed me, asking me the details of the attack. I explained the situation, as briefly yet thoroughly as I could, emphasizing the self-defense aspect—gods, I would hate to have a public trial—and finally snapped, as the questions continued.

"I need to shower and rest. I don't care if you have me under watch or need further questions answered. Just—let—me—rest," I snapped, stressing the four final words with a more caustic tone than usual.

"I'll handle it from here," Ishizu announced to the police.

"And who are you?" one of the police asked.

"I am Ishizu Ishtar, former curator of the Egyptian Museum. I am currently in charge of the safety bureau of Domino City and am in charge of the investigation of this case," she announced, "I will personally handle Mr. Kaiba's security as well as further interrogation."

The police saluted at her remark and dispersed, taking notes and pictures of the crime scene. Crime scene. I needed to get away from here, wash away all the blood on my clothes and soak in a warm bath. I needed to clear my mind of all this filth. I felt the image of my stepfather with a gun in his hand, standing over a dead security guard force itself into my mind. I remember that I had vomited at the sight of the man—and had vomited at the memory of the punishment I received after for seeing what I should not have seen.

As I stood there, feeling detached from the situation, I realized how odd it was that I wasn't falling into one of my usual attacks from thinking about my stepfather. I was exhausted—mentally and physically—but I wasn't succumbing to my usual weakness. I mentally thanked Muto for whatever he had done with his puzzle and turned towards Ishizu.

"Career change?" I remarked, smirking.

"I will become whatever it is that you need, Seto Kaiba," she answered cryptically. I did not answer. Was there ever an answer to her vague statements?

"Shall we go?" she asked, fully knowing my answer. I gave her no more than a short nod before heading out.

"So where am I to stay? Clearly my home is not considered safe anymore," I asked.

"You'll be staying with me in a secure location until further notice," she responded. I looked at her. She didn't seem as if she was joking.

"This place is truly safer than any other location?" I probed.

"Yes. If you disbelieve me to this extent, I would recommend returning to the police squad at the Kaiba Corporations headquarters," she said in a crisp voice. Almost as if she were angry with me.

"I just didn't think I'd be walking there, is all," I said after a moment's pause. I didn't want her to think I was ungrateful or anything. I didn't want her to think that at all.

"Sorry—I guess I'm tired," I remarked stupidly—why was I always stupid around her—and continued, "I truly am thankful for everything…"

She turned and smiled at me. My eyes widened in shock. She was truly beautiful, after all. Her smile reached all the way to her azure eyes, telling me that without a doubt, she was happy.

"I am glad you are safe," she said.

"Why? Why do you…" I had begun to ask. She cut me off with a cut of her hand.

"You will know soon. Now is not the time," she responded, turning into an alley. Curious, I followed her silently. She pressed a brick in the wall. Her simple action caused the entire wall to shift, revealing a doorway into a modest sized apartment. I could only watch the whole occurrence in silent awe. She had not been joking about the location being secure.

"Welcome to my home," she said, gesturing to the tiny apartment, "Don't worry, there are two bedrooms at the least. I knew you would be coming to stay in the future, so I made sure to make preparations in advance."

"Your 'foresight' is quite useful. Saved me from the press today," I remarked.

"The shower is upstairs to the right. New clothes are available in the bathroom as well. Would you like something to eat after your bath?" she asked. I stared at her. She was acting like a domestic housewife—but with the same pride and confidence as always. It was as if no matter what she was, she would be full of pride. As if simply being her was pride enough.

"Ah, yes, thank you," I responded, feeling myself turning red for some reason.

As I soaked in the bath I allowed myself to smile scornfully at my current situation. I had taken over Kaiba Corporations, killed two-dozen men, and was now living at Ishizu Ishtar's home. For how long, I did not know. It would be good for me to call Pegasus, requesting him to watch Mokuba for some more time. I was sure he would not refuse my request. The attack at Kaiba Corporations would be publicized, I knew. Pegasus, Muto—hell the whole school would know of the attack. I suddenly wondered what Kisara would think of me. Blood soaked, murderer…

I was surprised to find my vision blurring. What was going on? My cheeks felt wet, my throat felt dry—I just felt sick. I turned to face the mirror…and realized that I had been crying. My eyes were red and I looked as if I had aged another few more years.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, but to whom I could not tell. To the men I had killed? To Kisara for not being the person she thought I was? To Mokuba for not being able to protect him? To Ishizu for always having to be rescued by her?

I'm sorry…


	18. Chapter 18

Ok...background about where this chapter came from: I was borderline drunk while writing this, so I apologize if Seto Kaiba seems a little too ooc. But then again, we don't know what he's like when he's drunk in the series..so, hope you enjoy!

"Here you go," she said, handing me an empty glass and a plate piled with food. Food—I definitely didn't feel like I could eat. I watched the empty glass and thought wryly—If I were to get drunk, now would be the best time. I didn't want to remember anything. I wanted it all to go away—to become blank.

"Would you like anything to drink?" she asked.

"Whiskey, on the rocks," I replied. I wanted to feel the burn in my throat. It had been a while since I had last drunk any alcohol. My stepfather had forced me to drink a glass of some alcohol since I had entered his household—social training he had called it. I found it relaxing to drink, but refrained from doing so around Mokuba. I had no reason to hold back now. I gulped down the drink in a single swig, feeling the warmth spread from my throat to my belly.

Ishizu watched me in silence, slowly eating her food. She had probably foreseen that I would get drunk tonight. Hell, I didn't care anymore. I didn't touch my food and continued to drink—slower than my first glass—at a reasonable pace.

"I take it you don't drink often?" she remarked after a while. I could feel my head begin to spin. It was true, I had little tolerance for alcohol and it had been a while.

"You can tell?" I said, taking another sip.

"Your face is all flushed. You're not yet twenty, am I correct?" she asked.

"Seventeen," I responded. A sudden thought passed through my head.

"How old are you?"

"How old do you think I am?"

"At least twenty. There's no way you'd have this much alcohol around otherwise," I responded.

She laughed. Her laughter sparkled in the air. I wanted to hear it again, but frowned as I realized I knew no jokes.

"I am only sixteen, Seto," she responded, "But I am flattered that you believe me to be older."

Sixteen? No way. She and Kisara were the same age? There was no way…

"I took control of the museum when I was thirteen due to certain personal circumstances. You could say I matured a bit during the past three years," she explained.

Matured a bit was an understatement, I thought, as I surveyed her features. She had the build and mien of a twenty-something year old at least. And her body…

I shook my head. I was definitely getting drunk if my thoughts were tending in that direction.

"So tell me, how did you become—what was it again—head of the security bureau in Domino City?" I asked.

"I foresaw this situation and knew that that was what I needed to be. I entered an accelerated police academy, graduated with flying colors and rose to the top of the department in three months time. It was barely in time, however," she remarked.

"You…" I couldn't finish my statement. She had accomplished all that simply—to be useful to me? When I regained my voice, I probed further.

"Why? Why go through all of that?"

"For the sake of the future," she replied, looking at me levelly. As usual, I had no idea what she was saying. In addition, I could feel the alcohol's effects fully hitting my system. I knew it would have been better to eat something, but felt like I couldn't swallow anything.

"You should drink some water," Ishizu said after a long pause. I accepted the glass she offered me, touching her hand briefly as I did so.

"So, do the men who attacked me have anything to do with the men in Cairo?" I asked, feeling the cold-water rush through my system.

"I am not sure yet, which is precisely why I wanted to personally head the investigation. Do not worry. I will make sure that you are involved in every step of the investigation as well. Your brother is also safe where he is for the moment," she said. I nodded at her remark in gratitude and then turned to glare at the glass of water in my hand.

"Whoever was responsible for the attack—I will personally deal with them," I growled.

"You need to rest first," Ishizu said softly, placing her hand on mine. I felt an irresistible urge to kiss her at that moment. I started to check my thoughts, then stopped. There was no point. I had fallen for his woman since I had first seen her in Cairo. She was beautiful, proud—and always there for me when I was at my weakest. And I didn't care. If it was she—I had no reason to be ashamed of my weaknesses.

I started to laugh—and couldn't stop. Ishizu watched me, concerned. Despite her serious gaze, I could not stop laughing until I was completely out of breath. This is ridiculous, I thought, running my hand through my hair. I was completely losing any semblance of sanity.

"Looks like I'm quite drunk," I said, standing up, "I'd be grateful if you could show me to my room."

She nodded, still watching me as if I had grown two horns. She probably had never seen me this out of it before. Nor did I have any intention of letting her see me like this again. I was beginning to feel both too relaxed and like an idiot at the same time.

"Say, Ishizu," I said as we were heading up the stairs, "What do you think…about me?"

"You are…" she looked unable to finish her sentence. Her look had told me enough. I leaned in and kissed her. I could feel her shock as she froze initially. I almost drew back, but then felt her open her lips to fit mine. Some part of my brain was telling me to stop, but I ignored it and continued.

She felt wonderful—warm lips, tasting like red wine and pasta. As I felt my hands moving from her hair to her shoulders—I began to listen to the part of my brain that was still working. I pulled away, breathless. The sight of her flushed face—an almost vulnerable look—made me want to kiss her again.

"I…" I began, not knowing what to say.

"Goodnight, Seto," she responded, gesturing to my room. She gave me a soft look as I headed into my room, and then turned away—in disgust? Embarrassment? Desire?

I was convinced that it would be the last time I would ever drink.


	19. Chapter 19

Just wanted to say...thank you for the reviews! It makes me really happy when I know that people are enjoying my fanfic, and inspires me to write even faster :)

Well, here's chapter 19! Enjoy!

"Chief Ishtar," the police squad greeted her with a synchronized salute. She nodded in greeting, indicated to me with a tilt of her head to follow her. I ignored the curious looks of the police. Perhaps they weren't expecting me to be quite so active in the investigation? There was no way I was going to sit around and let these buffoons handle the case. My case.

When we entered Ishizu's office, a man with the same olive-toned skin as Ishizu greeted us.

"Mr. Kaiba, let me introduce Shadi. He is my personal assistant, and after me, the second in charge of this case," Ishizu announced. He gave a bow in our direction before spreading several documents on the desk.

"These are the reports on the autopsies of the men who attacked Mr. Kaiba at the Kaiba Corporations headquarters. While physically, they were perfectly healthy, we found strange abnormalities in their brain," he began, pausing to spread a series of new sheets on the desk.

"These are?" Ishizu probed.

"MRI scans. The chief pathologist commented that the brains looked as if they were still sending nerve signals, so we sent the preserved brains for MRI scans. We weren't expecting to see any visible brain activity—these men are presumably dead—but were surprised to find the contrary."

My eyes widened as I gazed at the scans. While most of the brain seemed to have no activity, there was one region that still showed pulsations.

"The reports from the neurologist report that the only activity seen in these brains is in the region specific to decision making—the frontal lobe," Shadi continued, handing the reports to Ishizu. She frowned.

"So you're telling me that they can still make decisions—even after they're dead?" I asked. Something wasn't making sense. I was no doctor, but I knew well enough that the dead shouldn't have any activity, especially in the brain.

"No. Once dead, the brain loses its ability to generate electrical signals. My hypothesis is that these signals are coming from elsewhere," Shadi concluded.

Elsewhere? Like remote electrical signaling? Kaiba Corporations definitely did not have that kind of technology. While I knew that my stepfather once had plans for a high-tech form of mind control, I knew he had scrapped the project because it was infeasible. Was there a chance the Big Five had revived that project?

"Was there any trace of metallic substances in the brain?" I asked.

"No. None," Shadi answered. He seemed puzzled by my question. I turned to Ishizu to ask her opinion and noticed that her gaze was unfocused. She seemed as if she were in a trance.

"Ishizu? Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder. As soon as I touched her, she snapped into alertness. Her brow furrowed and she sank into the closest chair.

"Shadi, I want to request this case be closed immediately," she said.

"What?" I demanded. There was no way I would allow this case to be closed until the culprit was caught.

"I will see that it is done," Shadi answered, bowing once more. He left the room before I could say another word. Ishizu remained silent, stone-faced.

"What's going on?" I demanded. I could feel my temper flaring. Since she continued to remain silent, I turned to leave the room. At least I could stop that Shadi from discontinuing the investigation.

"Seto," she said in a low voice. I turned my head so quickly I could swear I heard it crack.

"I know who was responsible for the attack," she said, "and I also know his next move. I…"

I watched as tears formed in her eyes. What did she know that was causing her to break down like this? I kept my distance. I didn't know what to do with a woman who was about to cry. I had a sinking suspicion that the person behind my attack was none other than my mysterious enemy who was responsible for the attack in Cairo, using the Big Five as a weak scapegoat this time.

"It's him, isn't it? Ishizu, I need to know who it is. Muto is going to give me the millennium item soon. Then I'll have the power I need to defeat him. Tell me everything you know," I said, bending down to make eye contact with her.

"I can't…" she began. I watched as her eyes shifted away from my gaze. Her sudden nervousness told me volumes. Suddenly all of her incomprehensible kindness and help made sense.

Reflexively, my hands curled into fists. Always concealing information from me. There was no reason for her to do so anymore. This was not for my sake anymore—if it ever had been. It was for her plan. My mind flashed to last night and remembered with disgust the kiss I had given her. I stood up tall again, and looked down at her with disdain.

"A clever strategy, Curator Ishtar. Becoming closer to me, gaining my trust little by little—so that you can hand me over to his enemy of mine. I will spare you because of the debt I owe you from Cairo, but consider our dealings over," I hissed. I burst out of her office, slamming the door behind me. I ignored the looks of the police as I left.

"Mr. Kaiba, please wait," Shadi called out after me.

"Since this case is going to be closed, I have no further use for you," I snapped, sending a ripple of shock across his features. He bowed in apology, as he very well should. I had been too soft of late. I had let my guard down to an extent that I had sword I never would. I only hoped that I had realized my mistake in time…


	20. Chapter 20

My first line of business was to bring Mokuba back home. I went to Pegasus' place, and standing in front of his mansion's imposing gate. I had called Pegasus as soon as I left the police station, stiffly thanking him for taking care of Mokuba, and that I would be over to pick him up. Pegasus must have noticed that something had happened thanks to my tone of voice, but said nothing of it.

I saw him emerge from his home, Mokuba following him. Seeing me, he burst into a wide grin as usual and starting waving. I gave him a curt nod, and then turned to Pegasus.

"Thank you for watching him," I repeated. Pegasus was watching me carefully, but thankfully choose to say nothing in front of Mokuba.

"Hope your business went well, Kaiba boy," he said, grinning and slinging an arm around my shoulders. When his face was in close proximity to my ears, he muttered, "I'll give a call later, okay? Tell me what the hell happened."

I started at his harsh tone and shrugged his arm off of me.

"Let's go, Mokuba," I said. He followed me and although he was smiling, I could see the worry in his eyes.

We walked back home in silence. I struggled with myself. Would it be best to tell Mokuba everything? After all, if anything happened to me, he would know better what to do. I had to tell him.

"Mokuba," I said finally once we returned to the safety of our home.

"Onii-chan, what's going on?" he burst out, his face contorted in an angry frown.

"I'm sorry for not telling you anything," I said softly, placing a hand on his head. I ruffled his hair slowly, giving him a small smile. Mokuba's eyes widened at my expression. What kind of expression was I giving him? I looked across to the mirror that hung on the wall—and realized my mistake. My smile looked pained; I looked like I was going to cry. I was becoming too soft.

Reverting back to my poker face, I turned back to face Mokuba.

"I was attacked at the Kaiba Corporations headquarters," I started. I watched painfully as shock froze Mokuba's features.

"But…you're okay now, right?" he asked in a small voice.

"I'm okay, thanks to the weapons training our stepfather gave me," I said.

"Okay. So who was responsible?" he asked, still anxious.

"At first I thought it was the Big Five trying to eliminate me in order to regain Kaiba Corporations for themselves. But it turns out that it was the same person responsible for the attack in Cairo," I explained. Mokuba continued to watch me silently.

"Apparently," I grimaced as I explained this, "my enemy has something to do with ancient Egypt or something. Muto is supposed to be the reincarnation of the pharaoh from 5000 years ago, and is back to defeat some evil. Pegasus and I are supposed to be his magi warriors. In order to weaken Muto in attempts to defeat him, this 'evil' is targeting Pegasus and me. I think he was responsible for the attack at Kaiba Corporations as well."

Mokuba's jaw had dropped at this point. I, too, felt disbelief at what I had just said. But with everything that had happened—I could not just ignore it, either.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of whoever this is. I just need you to be safe. In case anything happens, first try to call me. If you can't seem to reach me, make sure to call either Pegasus or Muto," I explained, "And if that doesn't work either—go to the secret base we used to play in as kids."

Mokuba nodded in understanding. The base was one of the few places that I knew for sure was something only Mokuba and I knew about. I decided out of necessity that it would be worth my while to let Pegasus and Muto know of the location—just in case.

I frowned. Could I truly trust Muto? The incident with Ishizu had shaken me out of my stupor of bliss. I thought to whom I could trust. Mokuba, without a doubt. Pegasus—he had done enough recently for me, but he was my business rival. I would need to secure him through a business partnership to be sure. Muto—once I obtained the millennium item from him, I could reduce my interactions with him. That would be best, I decided.

Mokuba went to bed. I felt guilty for worrying him—I had a hunch that he would sleep little tonight—and opened my laptop. I needed to deal with the press about the attack at Kaiba Corporations. While knowing that the Big Five probably had little to do with the attack, I also knew that it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of them.

I dug up the records of what Gozaburo had dubbed the "mind control" project and then proceeded to hack into the police department records. After obtaining the MRI scans of the deceased men, I compiled my findings into a comprehensive report that framed the Big Five. I had no doubt that my influence—and the Big Five's reputation in the business world—would bring this case to a close quickly.

I contacted the press, sending them both my report and that I would be releasing a public announcement tomorrow regarding the attack. I was going to bring attention back to me, while simultaneously ousting the Big Five. I smiled. Whoever this enemy was, his attempt at my life had just helped spur my plans forward.

My next line of business was to secure a business partnership with Pegasus. I scanned the notes I had taken regarding the Duel Monsters game. He had shown me his sketches for cards over the past several months after our Cairo trip. Combined with my hologram technology and his novel idea, I had no doubt that Duel Monsters would become a hit.

I hit speed dial and waited as the phone rang. Once, twice, thrice. Where the hell was he?

"Kaiba boy?" Pegasus breathed into the phone. He sounded breathless. My mind raced, thinking of what he could be doing at that moment. I decided I didn't want to know.

"Forgot to call?" I asked.

"Thought you needed some time—with Mokuba," he replied. I was beginning to appreciate his insight. Perhaps his fool attitude was a cover up to avoid attracting attention. After all, he did not have the option of removing himself from the business world. Come to think of it—perhaps I never did as well.

"So, did you tell him?" he asked me after I had responded to him with silence.

"Yes, briefly. I also told him to contact you or Muto in case anything happens to me," I said.

"Good. You're finally starting to trust Yami and me, Seto," he said softly. Trust. I felt a pang run through my system at that word. Did I truly trust Pegasus and Muto? I cleared my throat.

"Ishizu can't be trusted," I said finally, continuing to explain the attack and the police investigation afterward. I kept my mistake—my kiss with her—a secret. That was too personal and stupid to share, after all. Pegasus was silent after my explanation.

"Are you absolutely certain that she's helping our enemy? She's helped us quite a bit, you know," he finally said.

"I'm not taking any chances, Max," I spat, "I could be placing Mokuba in danger if I trust her."

"You know, I feel like she's gotten under your skin quite a bit," he remarked. I twitched at his teasing tone. Did he understand the seriousness of the situation? I wasn't going to press further. I had better things to do with my time.

"I'll be making an official statement regarding the attack tomorrow. The information will also be released to the press. After the publicity, I intend to keep Kaiba Corporations on the news with the release of the Duel Monsters game," I announced.

"You don't waste anytime, do you, Kaiba boy. Very well. I've already prepared the details of the Duel Monsters project in document form to present to my father. If you could have a document prepared for tomorrow, I could get the project approved by the end of the week," Pegasus replied. I could hear him typing away on his computer. He was beginning to understand my desire for efficiency. He would make a good business partner after all. He was reliable, efficient, cautious and trustworthy.

"Thinking that I'd be a good business partner?" he said. I could almost imagine the lopsided grin on his face.

"Something like that," I agreed.

"Max," I heard a woman's voice call out to him. He coughed into the phone.

"If you'll excuse me, Kaiba boy, I don't want to let my date wait any further. I'll see you tomorrow at school?" he said quickly.

"Sure. I wouldn't want to impede on your fun any further," I replied, almost snickered.

"Hilarious as always. See you tomorrow," he responded. I heard the phone click as he cut the call, but only a fraction of a second after what sounded like a kiss. Ugh, I thought, trying to erase the image of Pegasus and some woman kissing. A kiss. My hand went up to my mouth. Kisara. I needed to give her a proper answer soon. With the publicity I would be receiving soon, a love affair was the last thing I needed.

I leaned back in my chair and allowed myself a moment of rest from my laptop screen. 'She really likes you, you know,' I heard Pegasus' voice in my head. What did she like about me, anyway? When it came to business, I knew what to do. But when it came to people—why was I always at a loss?

But I knew that I wouldn't be able to forgive Ishizu. Not now, not ever.


	21. Chapter 21

I stepped down from the podium, relieved that that was over. I hated making public statements. I could care less what the public opinion was of me—but the public opinion of my company was another matter. The press had gobbled up my reports of the Big Five's treachery and their role behind the attempt at my life.

When I returned to the Kaiba Corporations headquarters, I was surprised to find that I could barely make it my office—the entrance to my office was blocked my rows upon rows of flowers mostly from business' expressing their condolences. Condolences my ass. They knew how ruthless I could be—the Big Five was a prime example—and wanted to make sure to get on my good side.

I perused the nametags on the flowers. I was surprised to find many of them were from women—whom I knew only by name. Famous actresses, singers and businesswomen. Rich, highly accomplished women. Probably using this as an excuse to get closer to me, I thought. A simple bouquet caught my eye. Unlike the others, this bouquet was cheap—probably no more than 2000 yen at most—with mostly leaves with a sprinkling of two or three flowers. I picked up the nametag and found myself smiling.

Dear Kaiba—she had written in her elegant handwriting—I hope you are doing okay. When I heard about the attack, I was really worried about you. Please come back to school soon. ~Kisara

School. Although it was low on my priorities at the moment, I knew I had to go. I needed to meet with Pegasus to hand over the documents for the Duel Monsters project—which I had pulled an all-nighter to finish—and I needed to give Kisara a proper answer. And I needed to talk with Muto to finalize the plans for this Saturday. Frowning, I picked up Kisara's bouquet and handed it to my secretary.

"Make sure this finds its way in a vase on my desk. Throw out the rest after you've written thank you letters to the senders," I ordered. My secretary nodded, looking at the pile of bouquets with trepidation.

Deciding that I could deal with work while at school, I changed into my school uniform and headed out. I had made plans to move to a larger residence and had bought a few cars and hired a handful of drivers that Pegasus had recommended. One such driver had taken Mokuba to school earlier and another was holding the door open to my car now. I felt myself slowly returning to the life I had had under Gozaburo—but this time I was in charge. And it felt exhilarating.

When I reached the school, I was greeted by a swarm of curious students—one of the major reasons I had my driver take me to school. He cleared a path for me, and I made it to my classroom with little difficulty. As expected, as soon as I sat down, I was called to the principal's office.

"The news of your attack at Kaiba Corporations is well known throughout the school," the principal said, placing a newspaper down on the desk between us, "I want to confirm that this will not interfere in your studies. Your grades are excellent as usual. We have nothing against your business activities—Maximillion Pegasus attends this school as well, after all—but this attack raises concerns."

"If you are concerned about the safety of the other students while I am at school, I can have bodyguards or the police force stationed at the school. Or if you'd prefer that I do not attend this school, that would suit me just as well," I responded. I had little patience for graying men who lived in the past like this principal.

He cleared his throat.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary, of course. Just want you to be careful," he said uncomfortably.

"If that is all, then I will be returning to my class," I said briskly, rising. The principal nodded, watching me with a worried expression on his face.

I ignored the whispers and glances thrown in my direction and sat down at my desk, opening my laptop. I felt an arm slung around me and continued to type.

"Max, if you tighten that arm any more, I won't be able to breathe," I said in as calm a voice as possible while checking my company email.

"Ah, lively as ever! Good!" he said, releasing me, "So, do you have the documents?"

Without turning from my laptop, I handed him the documents from my briefcase. I felt him surveying the documents carefully.

"Perfect as usual. Just what I'd expect from you, Kaiba boy," he said, sitting on my desk and pushing my laptop aside.

"Do you need something?" I asked, "I have a lot of work to do."

"That press announcement was brilliant—you have many sympathizers, both inside and outside the business world. And you've ensured that the Big Five can do nothing to you. You're quite the celebrity at the school, too," he said, looking around. I ignored him and continued checking my work email with my laptop on my lap, since Pegasus had occupied the entirety of the top of my desk.

"So, do you want to hear about my date yesterday?" he asked cheerfully, closing my laptop. I felt my irritation reach a peak.

"No, that's the last thing I want to hear about," I snapped, "Now will you get off my desk?"

"Aha, there's the usual Seto Kaiba," Pegasus said, sliding off the desk, "Ah, morning Yami."

I looked up from my laptop at Muto, who was watching me with a very concerned expression. He slid into his seat beside me.

"It's not really the Big Five, is it?" he asked me in a low voice.

"No. I have a pretty good hunch that whoever was behind the Cairo attack was behind this one, too. What I'd like to know is why he's targeting me specifically," I said.

"Probably because you pose the greatest threat other than Yami here," Pegasus answered in an equally low voice from behind me. As I watched Yami gaze at his millennium item, a sudden thought occurred to me.

"Our enemy has a millennium item as well…" I muttered.

"Most probably. I've been thinking about what you described about the Cairo attack. You said the men seemed as if they didn't feel pain. What if they were forced to not feel pain?" Muto asked.

"You mean like drugs? Or torture?" I asked. When Muto didn't answer, I continued, "The men who attacked me at Kaiba Corporations also didn't seem to feel pain…and the brain waves in their frontal lobe also concerns me…"

"It must be due to the effect of the millennium item," Muto said after a moment's pause.

"Did your father's research say anything about the specific abilities of each millennium item?" I asked.

"The ancient writings can be quite vague in their meaning—encrypted so that only the pharaoh and his most trusted priests and magi would know the truth. Thus far, my father has been able to determine the powers of the millennium eye, the millennium puzzle and the millennium necklace. The remaining items—the millennium key, rod, ring and scale—remain a mystery that my father is still trying to solve. The power of the millennium necklace, in fact, my father could not figure out until Ishizu Ishtar revealed its powers to him," Muto explained.

"Bullshit," I muttered, after hearing Ishizu Ishtar's name. Muto started at my response. I shook my head.

"So we don't know the identity, nor the abilities of our enemy," Pegasus mused aloud.

"I tried to ask as much from the curator—I know she knows much more than she's telling us," I hissed, "But she refused to say anything."

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly. There must be a good reason why she remained silent," Muto said. I felt my fists clench involuntarily, and felt Pegasus' hand on my shoulder.

"Relax," he muttered in my ear. Was my agitation that obvious?

Thankfully, I was sparing from discussing the curator any further by the beginning of class. As I opened my laptop and glanced through the financial reports by quarter—the Big Five had left quite the mess that I had to clean up—I worked on making the final merge between the conglomerate of companies I had amassed and Kaiba Corporations. I wanted my workers back, but didn't want to fire all the current workers at Kaiba Corporations, either. A smooth transition would be best.

As class continued, I felt Pegasus tense behind me. I almost turned around, but felt a pair of eyes on me. The teacher's eyes. I looked up, confused, until I realized that she wasn't looking at me, but at the desk behind me. At Pegasus. Don't tell me, I thought, inwardly groaning. Ignoring the pheromones around me, I continued with my work.

Merging the two companies was simple on paper, since I owned both. Reorganizing the infrastructure would become a nightmare if not handled properly. I began making a flow chart of the individual departments and management. I would need to condense the management—which would mean axing a good part of my workforce.

I frowned and decided to wait to reorganize until after the Duel Monsters project deal was signed. Depending on the success of the project, I might not need to reduce my workforce too much. The project would also allow me to test the individual abilities of the managers and help me make a more informed decision about whom to keep.

I paused when I felt Muto tap my shoulder. I turned to him and received a folded sheet of paper in my palm. Closing my fingers around the sheet, I almost tossed it. But my curiosity got the better of me.

I opened the sheet of paper, only to realize that it wasn't Muto's handwriting at all.

Hi Kaiba, I'm glad you're back ~Kisara

I smiled and looked over to the far end of the classroom where she was sitting. She was paying full attention as usual, taking notes rapidly. Her long blue hair was tied up into a braid, her bangs falling lightly into her eyes. She turned and caught me staring at her. I felt myself turning red as she smiled at me quickly before returning to her notes. This wouldn't do. I needed to be clear with her.

I turned the note over and wrote quickly: Thank you for the flowers and for your concern. –Kaiba

I passed the note over to Muto, indicated to him to send it over to Kisara. He smiled at me knowingly—I had forgotten that he had been there when she kissed me as well—and sent the note in her direction. I watched as the note reached her. The smile that spread across her face at my note sent a shiver down my spine.

No, I decided, this would not do at all.


	22. Chapter 22

"I think I love her," Pegasus said while I was downing a sandwich.

"Who?" I asked absentmindedly, forgetting temporarily my desire to know as little about his love life as possible.

"Cecilia," he said with a dreamy look on his face.

"Who?" I repeated. To my knowledge there was no classmate of ours with that name. Wait—he couldn't possibly be talking about…

"That would be the name of our homeroom teacher," Muto said, joining us at the lunch table. I groaned.

"Please spare me any details," I muttered, drinking some water.

"She looks amazing naked," Pegasus murmured. I almost spit out my water in disgust and in shock.

"You're sleeping with _our homeroom teacher_?" I said incredulously, while Muto chuckled.

"Keep this up and you'll shock Kaiba into oblivion," Muto said. I turned felt myself turning red as I realized it was a joke.

"The second part's a joke. I haven't seen her naked—yet anyway. But I do think I love her," Pegasus said. I shook my head.

"Are you two dating now?" Muto asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah. She was over my place yesterday for dinner," Pegasus said. So that was the woman I heard in the background when I had called him. I tried to eject the image of Pegasus and the homeroom teacher kissing out of my brain completely.

"Be careful. It's risky for both of you," Muto warned.

"No, you shouldn't be seeing each other at all," I cut in, "Don't you have enough girls our age to date?" I couldn't believe I was having this conversation at all.

"She's different, Seto," Pegasus replied. I found myself unable to argue with the serious expression on his face. I sighed. It was probably best if I didn't get myself involved with this. After all, I had my own girl troubles to deal with.

As if I had summoned her, Kisara bounced over to our table.

"Kaiba!" she called out cheerfully, waving over to me. I gave her a curt nod in reply, and saw a gaggle of girls eying her enviously. My rejection would protect her from them as well, I mused.

She sat down beside me and handed me her notebook.

"Here are the notes from yesterday and the day before. I hope they're helpful," she said.

"Thank you," I said, taking the notebook from her. Our hands touched briefly during the exchange and I watched as a blush spread across her face.

"Um, Kisara?" I said, feeling uncomfortable about what I had to do next.

"Yes?" she asked, her eyes bright.

"I need to talk to you—in private," I said.

"Oh, okay. Um, does the rooftop work?"

"Sure."

"Okay, let's go, then."

I ignored Pegasus and Muto's curious looks and followed behind her to the rooftop. Why did I feel so guilty about this? By telling her to have nothing to do with me, I would be protecting her from the one targeting me, the paparazzi and the jealous girls at the school. Then why did I feel so…

"Kaiba?" she asked. I realized that we had arrived at the rooftop, and I had been silent for at least a whole minute.

"I'm sorry," I said finally. She watched me carefully, her expression unchanged, "I can't go out with you. And I'd like if you stayed away from me from now on."

I cringed inwardly at how cold the last part of my rejection had sounded.

"Ah, I see. Okay, thanks for letting me know," she said. She was still smiling as usual, but her eyes were wet.

"Um, it's nothing about you," I said quickly—why I was digging a deeper hole for myself—and then continued, "You're a very nice person, you're pretty and sweet and have beautiful handwriting…"

What the hell was I saying? I needed to shut up before I said anything else. Unfortunately, it seemed like my mouth had other plans.

"…and your flowers made me really happy. I just…the attack and…"

"I understand," she said, placing a hand on mine, "but I don't care if your life is dangerous, or if being with you will place me in danger. I really…"

"No," I snapped, pulling my hand away from hers, "You have no idea what it's like…you…"

I stopped when I realized my mistake. My harsh tone was enough to drive her to tears. She was truly crying. I had made her cry. I felt guilt flood my system, and wished—not for the first time—that I wasn't a 'Kaiba'. Before I realized what I was doing, I had pulled her into an awkward hug. Her crying stopped, as if shocked at my actions. Truth be told, I had no idea what I was doing, either. My body seemed to be moving on it's own.

Ishizu's face popped into my mind—her pained, crying face—and I felt another pang of conscience. It was better if they stayed away from me, after all.

"I'm sorry," I repeated once more and released Kisara. She nodded, her crying slowed.

It was better this way, I told myself, as I watched Kisara walk away in tears.


	23. Chapter 23

At last the end of the week had come. This week had seemed unusually long—the takeover of Kaiba Corporations, the attack, Ishizu, the public announcement, Kisara, the Duel Monsters project, moving, going to doctor's visits that I had previously forgotten about—needless to say, I was exhausted. I was half passed out on the couch with Mokuba in our new mansion. I had ordered the mansion to be fully furnished by the time we moved in and had hired bodyguards to surround the mansion at all times.

I silently thanked Pegasus for the bodyguards. He had personally helped me choose men from his bodyguards and in addition had given me referrals for trustworthy men that I could hire. Feeling safer than I had been since the attack, I felt my tensed muscles relax. Mokuba was busy munching away at his skittles. My empty bag of popcorn lay on the glass table. Despite the surround sound system and the wall-to-wall screen made to project holographic images, our basic habits had not changed. I smiled, leaning softly on Mokuba.

"Onii-chan?" he asked.

"It's nothing," I said in a tone of voice that said everything. He smiled and snuggled in closer to me.

"I love you, Seto," he said. I smiled softly and whispered, "I know, Mokie."

Mokuba's face burst into a broad smile when I used the nickname I had used to call him at the orphanage. How many years had it been since I called him that?

Surprisingly, I thought, I was oddly comfortable in a mansion that resembled Gozaburo's old house. I had thought that by cutting all ties with this kind of lifestyle that I could find peace and happiness for Mokuba and me. But maybe the man Gozaburo had trained me to become—the successful businessman—would always be a part of me. It was something I excelled at, and my successes in business brought me pride.

But I wanted to be different from the businessman my stepfather had been. He cared only about making a profit and nothing else—Kaiba Corporations had been a weapons manufacturer, after all. I wanted to change that image of the company. A company that would produce products to build not destroy. Duel Monsters would be a good way to steer the focus of the company. A children's card game—something that innocuous would be the perfect springboard…

"Oh, Seto…I forgot to tell you. Yami called earlier about tomorrow's plans," Mokuba said, breaking me out of my reverie. I nodded. I decided to call him back once the movie was over. For now, I wanted to treasure this time with Mokuba, with no interruptions.

After what seemed like an hour of watching the movie—something about a girl who was an actress who wanted to find her love, even through her roles in different movies—I heard the phone ring. Just my luck, I thought, and reached for the phone on the table beside the couch.

"Kaiba residence," I said formally.

"Ah, Kaiba boy, I wanted to let you know about tomorrow's plans. We're planning on meeting at my place around lunchtime—does noon work for you?" he asked.

"Sure," I said.

"By the way, what happened between you and Kisara? Are you two dating now?" he asked me.

"No, I rejected her," I responded in a monotone voice.

"Are you serious?" Pegasus asked.

"So, tomorrow at noon?" I asked, feeling the need to change the topic.

"Yeah. Are you alright, Kaiba boy?" he asked, after a moment's pause.

"Fine, just fine. I'll see you tomorrow," I replied and hung up.

I felt thoroughly irritated. Not only had his call interrupted my evening with Mokuba, but also the thought of Pegasus prying into my personal life all the time was beginning to irk me. I closed my eyes and brought my hands to my temples.

"Onii-chan, are you okay?" Mokuba asked. I paused midway through massaging my temples. I had forgotten that Mokuba was still there.

"Just tired, that's all," I replied.

"'K! Let me give you a massage, then," he said, bringing his hands to my forehead. I groaned as he massaged my temples just at the right place. Years of practice had taught him exactly where my migraines were and the right way to relieve them.

"Feel better?" he asked after a few minutes. I nodded. My migraine was all but gone.

"I'm glad," he said, smiling, "I'm also glad you haven't had any of your panic attacks recently, either."

"Yeah, things are looking up, aren't they?" I said, ruffling his hair. They definitely would be. Once I had the millennium item and bolstered the earnings of my company with the Duel Monsters project, I would have all the power I needed to search for and defeat this threat of mine.

"Let's finish the movie," Mokuba said, taking my hand.

"Sure," I replied, settling down back on the couch. A peaceful Friday evening with my little brother—I could ask for nothing more. It made enduring all that I had the past week worth it. A simple evening.

...

Sorry that the past two chapters were so short! Somehow I find writing longer action scenes easier than longer cute or drama-filled scenes...please R+R!


	24. Chapter 24

For those of you following this fic, thank you! I'm excited to know that my first fic has been so well received!

So, I have a question for all of you: which couple are you a fan of-Seto and Kisara or Seto and Ishizu? (note that your answer will not affect who I've decided for him already, but I'm curious nonetheless)

Hope you enjoy!

...

We arrived at Pegasus' home as planned at noon. He greeted me with a nod and indicated to his bodyguards to take Mokuba to the west wing of his mansion. Mokuba watched me, his eyes full of unasked questions. Questions that I would answer for him later. First, I needed to obtain the millennium item.

"Where's Muto?" I asked.

"He'll be here soon. He said he's running a little late," Pegasus answered, "Well, since it is your first time coming to my home, how about a little tour?"

"Only until Muto gets here," I said. I had no time to play around. I followed after Pegasus in silence. Despite his attempt to be casual, I could tell he was tense. I figured he had increased the security for today—and was also worried about Muto's delay as I was.

"Here's the main hall…" he began.

"Obviously," I interrupted, folding my arms.

"Ah, lighten up, Kaiba boy," he said, giving my arm a light punch.

"So, does your home have anything but a main hall?" I teased.

"As a matter of fact, it does. Most importantly, there are 20 bedrooms—quite handy when my father or I want to have more than one girl over," he replied. I groaned and remembered the scandals that had been plastered over the news regarding the current CEO of Industrial Illusions. No wonder Pegasus had turned out to be the playboy that he was—with a father like that as a role model.

Come to think of it, I could not remember my stepfather ever bringing women over. And there was never mention of any scandals—at least any that I could remember. I smiled as I thought how calmly I could think of my stepfather now. No more panic attacks. No more fear. What had allowed me to move forward? As I watched Pegasus describing room after room in a flamboyant manner, I think I understood. Not that I was ever going to tell this idiot or Muto this.

"What?" Pegasus asked, facing me with an amused expression on his face.

"I didn't say anything," I replied.

"You were looking at me as if I were your lover or something," Pegasus said.

"Don't say such disgusting things," I retorted. Great, I was becoming worse at maintaining a poker face.

I heard a phone ring and reached for my cell phone before realizing that the ring tone was different from mine.

"Ah, that's probably Muto," said Pegasus, flipping open his phone to take the call.

"Greetings, Max here. Way to be late, Yami," he said cheerfully. I watched as his expression fell moments later.

"Where are you?" he asked, the panic in his voice obvious, "Dammit, where are you, Yami? Yami?"

Flipping his cell shut in frustration, he looked up at me.

"Someone knew that he was bringing the millennium item here and intercepted him on the way here. Yami's fine—but the thief managed to take the millennium item. Yami's tracking him now, but you know how weak he is physically," Pegasus explained to me while ordering his bodyguards to prepare a vehicle for us.

"Did he say where he was?" I asked, flipping open my phone to call Mokuba. With all these security personal on the move, I was no longer confident Mokuba would be safe here. Better to take him with me.

"No. He hung up before he told me," Pegasus snapped. I had never seen him this angry before. Something was wrong—something that Pegasus wasn't telling me.

"Mokuba?" I said as soon as Mokuba picked up the phone.

"You are getting far too careless, Seto Kaiba," a chilling voice drawled on the other end.

"Who the hell is this? Where's Mokuba?" I hissed, looking up to glare at Pegasus. He did not look shocked in the least. In fact, I was pretty sure that he had known about Mokuba's absence. And I realized now that he had been mobilizing more than one team of bodyguards—one to track a thief, and another to track a kidnapper.

"Ah, don't worry. I'll leave Mokuba for you—at the secret base you played at as kids," the voice said, laughing. How the hell did he know about that location? Was my home wiretapped? But even if it was the exact location was one only Mokuba and I were aware of…

"Cut the crap," I hissed, "There's no way you know the location of that place. Now where's Mokuba?"

I followed Pegasus into a van while his bodyguards worked on tracking the location of my mystery caller.

"Now, now, that's no way to speak to someone who has your dear younger brother. The secret base is inside the old tree in the center of the row of sakura trees on the far side of the river, not too far away from your old orphanage, am I right?" the voice said. My blood froze. There was no way he could know that…unless…

I tried to speak, but found no sound would come out of my mouth. My throat constricted and I was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Now, I'll make this easy for you. The condition of your brother when I return him depends on your answer to this very simple question: where is Ishizu Ishtar?" the voice demanded.

As if hearing her name spoken aloud snapped me back into attention, I found my voice once more. I took a deep breath of fresh air and snapped, "I have no idea where she is. If you don't tell me where Mokuba is now, I will make sure you will regret it."

"I'm well aware how powerless you are without the millennium item. Now, where is Ishizu Ishtar?" the voice asked once more, increasing in volume.

"I told you I have no…" I began.

"Onii-chan…"

I froze when I heard Mokuba's voice on the other end.

"I have a nice little dagger in my hand. What do you think I should do with it?" the voice continued. I could hear Mokuba's ragged breathing in the background.

I felt Pegasus' hand on my shoulder. He held up a piece of paper with a hastily scribbled message: 'We've located the kidnapper. Just keep talking to him. We'll be there under five minutes. '

I nodded, feeling the perspiration building on my forehead travel down the length of my face. I wanted to lash out against the kidnapper, against Pegasus for leaving such a hole in his security, for Muto for letting the millennium item get stolen, for Ishizu Ishtar for having some unknown connection to my brother's kidnapper.

"I've…always thought he needed a haircut," I managed, controlling my rage at the complete loss of control I had over the situation.

I heard the screech of metal on metal, and cringed.

"I didn't think you had a sense of humor, Kaiba," the voice said. I heard what I presumed was the dagger whip through the air, and a squeal of fear from Mokuba.

"Wait!" I cried out.

The voice on the other laughed—a high-pitched, chilling, maniacal laugh.

"I only cut off a lock of hair. Nothing to get worried about," the voice said in between bursts of laughter. I felt my hands clench into fists. Mokuba was being held captive—and I was as helpless as ever.

"I can't promise it'll be just hair the next time. Now, I'll ask you once more—where is Ishizu Ishtar?" the voice repeated, a dangerous edge lining the maniacal nonchalance of its tone.

Before I spoke once more, Pegasus held up another sheet of paper: 'We're here. My bodyguards will secure the perimeter. Here's a gun.'

I took the gun he had offered me and silently descended out of the car. I moved forward stealthily, the phone tucked in the crook of my neck. I heard the voice chuckle at my silence.

"I suppose the better question now would be—where are you?" the voice asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," I hissed in a low voice.

"Oh, I will, will I?" the voice replied, his laughter multiplying in volume and intensity.

I wanted to choke that voice, stifle the laughter. I kept around the outside of the old warehouse. I didn't think that someone who had the gall to kidnap my brother would be so cliché. The old abandoned warehouse.

I burst into the warehouse, gun pointed forward, flanked by Pegasus' guards. What I saw in front of me caused me to burn with frustration. Mokuba's cell phone was taped to a chair in front of a computer screen. On the screen was the display of a robed man whose dagger was now at Mokuba's throat. The robed man watched me with amusement filling his eyes.

"Found me, have you?" the man asked, barking with laughter.

"Mokuba," I said, feeling myself shaking with rage. The bastard had already cut off my brother's shoulder length hair and had added swallow cuts across his arms and face as well.

"I'm okay, onii-chan," he said through the screen, trying to smile.

"Mokuba…" I felt a sense of defeat. Of failure. I had failed to be my brother's protector. As Pegasus' bodyguards worked on tracking the signal of the video to its original source, I pointed my gun at the screen.

"I'm coming for you. And when I get there, you'll wish you were never born, bastard," I hissed at the robed man, and fired at the camera on top of the computer. I turned on my heel and got into the car alone.

I would rescue my brother on my own—not with Pegasus' help, not with anyone else's help.


	25. Chapter 25

Sorry for the delay in updating! I lost inspiration for a while after my good friend (who is an avid fanfic reader) flatly refused to read any of my fics (for reasons unknown to me)…but then I remembered you—my readers!

And then medical school applications happened…sigh…it seems like the world is trying to keep me from writing my fanfic! Anyway, thanks for following my fic until now

Well, back to Mokuba's kidnapping...

…

I pressed down the gas as far as it would go. There was no mistaking the location of the kidnapper. The scenery I saw behind Mokuba and that bastard was one I would never forget. How could I? It was the safe haven where Mokuba and I had often fled to while at the orphanage. While driving in a rage, ignoring any and all traffic rules, I thought of the times we had escaped to that row of sakura trees that seemed to greet us as we came. One time in particular crossed my mind…

Mokuba had been crying—the target of bullies as usual. His small frame, his innocent happiness and his desire to make friends with everyone had always made him an easy target. He was always too naïve, too sweet…but I wanted to protect that. If he alone could smile—that was enough for me.

I helped Mokuba through the crack in the fence and we ran until our lungs burst into the hollow beneath the old tree. Although in spring, it was a pretty sight—sakura blossoms in what seemed like an endless row of fragility—at other times, it seemed too bare. But it was the perfect place to hide.

"If you stop crying, we'll go somewhere new today," I said, watching Mokuba carefully.

"Like where?" Mokuba said, hiccupping.

"Hm. How about the zoo? I'm sure they have lions and tigers and…" I began.

"Tigers! I want to see a tiger! They look so strong," Mokuba said, smiling.

"Alright," I said, getting to my feet, "Let's go to the zoo!"

I took Mokuba's hand and ran around the tree, and through the cluster of sakura trees.

"And here we have the Indian tiger," I said, pointing at a small clearing. Although Mokuba knew as well as I that there was nothing there, his eyes lit up.

"A white one, too! With green eyes!" he exclaimed, reaching out his hand to pet the imaginary tiger. I grabbed his hand on reflex and felt my grasp tightening. Did he even know what it was to be afraid?

"Tigers are dangerous. You can't touch them," I said quickly. He nodded, but continued to watch the clearing.

"But they'll only hurt you if you hurt them, right?" he asked. I had no answer for him that day—nor now. If others attacked you only when you attacked them—there would have been no kidnapping today. There would have been no attack at the Kaiba Corporations headquarters, or in Cairo…

One of the first places I took Mokuba once Gozaburo died was the zoo—where danger was contained, where the tiger's beauty could be admired through a false sense of security.

A false sense of security that I had fallen into, I thought, shaking myself of my thoughts. I swerved sharply towards the river, my hands tightening around the steering wheel. Mokuba…this is my fault, I thought, anger, frustration—and guilt—flooding my system.

I flinched in surprise as my cell phone rang. I picked it up warily, half-expecting the kidnapper to be on the other end.

"Where the hell did you go?" Pegasus roared. I held the phone a good distance away from my ear, driving with one hand.

"I'm going to rescue my brother. Is there a problem with that?" I snapped.

"Yes! You happened to take one of the two vehicles we brought with us. You could have at least taken some bodyguards with you…" he seethed.

"I don't need your—or anyone else's help. This is my problem," I retorted, about to hang up.

"This is my problem, too. The kidnapper…I recognized his face. He's one of my bodyguards," Pegasus said.

"What?" I hissed, driving dangerously close to a mailbox.

"That's why it's my responsibility to…" he began.

"No. You lost the right to do anything in this situation after your security failed," I said.

"Fine. Think what you will. We've tracked the location of the kidnapper and are heading there now. I've alerted Yami of the location as well. We're all here for you, whether you like it or not," Pegasus said quickly and then hung up before I could reply.

Great. If Muto got involved in the kidnapping, what would happen to the millennium item?

I stopped the car abruptly in front of the row of sakura trees and rushed out. I ran to the old tree, gun in hand—only to find the place deserted.

"Mokuba! Mokuba!" I called out, knowing that it was futile. There was no one here, that much I knew well. Then where…

I heard a phone ring. Startled, I almost fired my gun. I spun around—to find a cell phone on the ground. I picked it up and snapped it open.

"You've become far too careless. I didn't think you would be fooled this easily," the voice on the other end said, laughing.

"Dammit! Where is my brother?" I cried, clenching the phone with enough pressure to crush it.

"My, my, you are getting desperate. It's giving me shivers to hear you this helpless," the voice drawled. I felt a wave of fury run through me and felt as if my skin was on fire.

"Quit toying with me," I hissed, getting back into the car. My mind—probably due to the insult to my ego—had remembered a certain detail from the scene of the kidnapper and Mokuba. They were sitting at a desk, with unusually small chairs…why had I not noticed it before?

I finally knew where my brother was. I just hoped that I wasn't too late…


	26. Chapter 26

I pressed the pedal down all the way, hearing laughter on the other end that made my blood boil. I could tell from the difference in intonation that this voice was different from the voice of the kidnapper I had seen on the screen. This voice made the hairs on my neck stand on end…and the quality of its laughter had only been mirrored in the kidnapper. Something told me that this was the mastermind. And I wasn't going to let him go. He liked hearing me desperate? I could pretend desperation well enough.

"Mokuba! Mokuba!" I cried into the phone. The laughter continued, increasing in intensity and volume. I felt sweat form on my palms—cold sweat.

"Where the hell is my brother?" I cried.

"Where is he, I wonder," the voice drawled, "Why don't you ask that witch who can see the future?"

"Ishizu," I hissed, "What is she to you?"

"My betrayer…let's leave it at that, shall we? I'm far more interested in your state of mind now," the voice replied.

"Which you will find in perfect condition, I assure you," I replied.

"Truly? Well, did you know…despite your attempts to 'protect' your brother from your stepfather…that your brother also felt some of the abuse that you did?" the voice drawled.

I froze. There was no way…I had taken all the blows to ensure that Mokuba would be left unscathed. This son of a bitch was messing with my head, that's all.

"There's no way you would now anything about that," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I can hear the doubt in your voice, Seto Kaiba, and its simply delicious," the voice said, and I heard a slurp, which was undoubtedly a licking of lips in delight.

"Where's Mokuba?" I probed, trying to return to the façade of desperation.

"Let's drop the act, shall we, Seto Kaiba?" the voice snapped. My eyes widened. Whoever this was knew me better than I had expected.

"Torturing you has been much more fun that I expected—but I know a way to make this more fun," he said. I heard a squeal in the background that I was sure was Mokuba' s voice.

"Now, Mokuba, would you like to tell your brother…what you really think of him?" the voice leered.

I felt a foreboding feeling run down my spine, but I ignored it and said, "Well, put my brother on the phone."

"Seto…" I heard him begin. There was something wrong with him—but I would deal with that later. Now I was buying time until I reached his location. Just stalling…

"You know…I always thought…that the way you tried to protect me all the time…was _annoying_," he said. I felt myself freeze until I reminded myself that he was being held hostage. No doubt he was forced to say what he said, right?

My right hand on the steering wheel clenched involuntarily. I hated myself for being this affected by that simple statement. I kept my eyes on the road.

"Is that all?" I asked in a monotone voice, "If you think you can use my brother to get to me, you're sorely mistaken. Don't think I can be defeated that easily."

"Ah, you'll succumb to me soon enough," the voice said, "Well, I guess I'll continue to the next stage, then?"

I was only a block away from Mokuba's current location—his middle school. I could see the Domino middle school plaque in my vision. And I felt confident that I would have the upper hand soon enough.

"Give me your best shot, you bastard," I hissed and hung up.

I swerved and burst through the closed school gate, ignoring the glass shards that flew around me. I could see Mokuba tied to a chair in front of the center window beneath the giant clock. Just a little more, I thought, rushing out of the car.

As I raced towards the school, I heard an explosion—followed by maniacal laughter. I looked up to the roof and saw an olive-skinned man with spiky white hair watching me with amusement in his eyes. In his hand was the switch. I fired my gun at him, but he moved with unbelievable speed—and disappeared.

"Mokuba!" I cried out as another round of explosions ripped through the school. I watched in horror as the floor below Mokuba crumbled and he fell—into fire and rubble. I rushed forward, but the distance was too far. Just a little bit more, I thought wildly, running towards the crumbling building. I heard the maniacal laughter echo all around me as I continued to run in desperation.

I heard his voice in my mind: 'your brother also felt some of the abuse that you did…'

My mind snapped to the times I had been locked up in the windowless room. Mokuba had tear streaks every time I was let out. I had always assumed he had been crying for my sake—for the treatment I received at my stepfather's hand. But what if…what if he had been crying from the treatment he himself received during that time? What if…?

Suddenly, I felt completely unable to breathe. The face of the bastard who had dared to kidnap my brother was engraved in my mind—those gleaming, crazed eyes—and it transformed into the face of my stepfather. The same leering, condescension. The same maniacal desire to win. It was as if my stepfather had been reborn as a dark-skinned demon…

I moved my hand to my throat as my lungs burned from lack of air. There was no way I would lose control of my body now. Mokuba…

I watched as a figure raced past me—a figure with tri-colored hair—towards the falling rubble.

'Y-yami…' I thought, feeling my knees give way. I felt a pair of hands grab me and help me to my feet. I turned my head sharply and saw Pegasus holding me, while simultaneously ordering his bodyguards—and the fire patrol and police that had arrived—towards the school.

"Relax…Mokuba will be fine. Breathe, dammit, breathe," he commanded me, his voice laced with urgency.

I felt my muscles unclench and gulped in fresh, cool air.

"Mokuba," I cried out, straining against Pegasus' hold.

"It's too dangerous!" he said, holding me back. I refused to believe the situation. I had made it in time, yet all I could do was watch as my brother—the one I had sworn to protect no matter what—fell to his demise. And it was Muto…Muto was the one who had rushed forward to save him, not me. Muto…


	27. Chapter 27

I was sitting in the waiting room of the emergency department. I was truly beginning to hate hospitals. The smell of too much bleach trying to cover up the putrid stench of sickness made the bile rise in my throat. But I tried to concentrate on the smell in order to keep my mind from thinking about the condition of my brother and Muto now.

I had watched in disbelief—held back by Pegasus' grip—as the fire rescue team carried out two limp figures. One was a short, black-haired boy with scars forming on his face. He had little to no burn marks, but his breathing was ragged, and he was bruised—everywhere.

But it wasn't Mokuba that looked the worse off. Mokuba's fairly stable-looking condition was thanks to Muto's critical one. If not for his tri-colored hair and millennium puzzle—I would not have been able to recognize him. His entire face was torn by falling rubble and disfigured by third and second degree burns. His clothes were shredded beyond recognition, and worse, I could not detect any signs of breathing from him.

The medical team brought him and Mokuba into stretchers, placing a breathing mask on both of them. I watched Mokuba stir, open his eyes and meet my gaze. He nodded to assure me that he was okay, and then leaned back into the stretcher. Muto remained motionless—as if he were dead…

I dug my nails into my palms as I waited to be called into the emergency department. The condition Muto was in was supposed to be the condition I should be in. He had rushed forward without thinking—so damn selflessly as if he were some invincible god. Did he have any sense of self-preservation?

"Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Pegasus? You can see Mr. Muto and Mr. Mokuba Kaiba in rooms 11 and 12 now," a nurse announced.

I leapt to my feet, closely followed by Pegasus. Pegasus had been so jittery after he had seen Muto that he had been unable to sit still. His movements were nervous even now as we approached the two rooms. I wanted to lash out at him for being so visibly shaken, but I restrained myself.

I, of course, went into Mokuba's room first while Pegasus turned to go into Muto's room. Mokuba was peacefully lying down, IV's, bandages and monitors hooked up to his body. He removed his breath mask when he saw me and gave me a weak smile.

"Hey, Seto," he said softly.

"Mokuba," I replied, sitting beside him.

"How's Yami?" he asked. My eyes narrowed and I felt my body tense immediately.

"He's in the room next to yours," I replied. Probably from watching my face darken, Mokuba had guessed the truth quickly enough.

"I want to go see him," he said.

"No," I snapped, getting to my feet.

"I need to thank him for saving me…" he began.

"You can do that later. Stay here and recover," I said firmly, turning away from Mokuba. I hesitated before entering Muto's room.

He was covered head to toe in bandages. If not for the monitor displaying his regular heartbeats, I could have sworn that he looked like those mummies that his father spent most of his time unearthing. I felt my throat go dry, and all the harsh words that I had wanted to say disappear.

I made my way next to Pegasus, who was holding Muto's unresponsive bandaged right hand and placed my hand on top of his. He looked up at me in surprise.

"The doctors say that he's in a coma state," he explained, "though that's probably best for him now. If he were awake, he'd need too many painkillers…"

I suddenly felt a wave of anger course through me. Muto was in this state because of that white-haired demon. There was no doubt in my mind that that demon was the one who was responsible for all the previous attacks. Rationally, I had no proof—but without a doubt, it was he. Despite all my preparations, I had been completely useless once Mokuba had been kidnapped. Completely and utterly useless.

I removed my hand from Pegasus' shaking one and Muto's unmoving one and turned away. I needed to move into action—not quiver in fear like Pegasus was now. I left the hospital room, my mind thinking of several modes of action. I needed to set a trap of my own for that bastard. I had been falling into his too many times now, and that needed to end.

I signed a blank check and left it with the hospital to pay for both Mokuba's and Muto's medical expenses. Just as I was about to leave the emergency room, the last person I wanted to see stood in the doorway.

"Ishizu," I hissed. It took all of my self-control not to lash out at her. Of course she had foreseen Mokuba's kidnapping. And of course, she had done nothing to prevent it, as usual.

"Kaiba, I need to speak with you," she said levelly, not averting her gaze from mine.

"Speak," I commanded, crossing my arms.

"A more private location would be preferable," she said.

"Fine," I snapped. I called up my driver to bring my car to the Domino hospital. I turned away from her as I waited for my ride—our ride I realized with disgust—in silence.

"I am sorry for…" she began.

"I don't need your false sympathy," I interrupted, keeping my voice as chillingly calm as possible. From the corner of my eye, I saw her flinch visibly.

"You may think of me as a betrayer, but I assure you, I did everything I could in this situation," she said, her voice flooding with anger. I turned to face her and saw her eyes blazing with anger—and hurt.

'She is my betrayer,' I heard the demon's voice in my head. My eyes narrowed. As I suspected, she was associated with my enemy—she was the reason he had kidnapped Mokuba in the first place. I needed answers, and it seemed like she was ready to provide them.  
>After what seemed like an eternity of silence, my ride arrived. Though she deserved no such treatment, I held the door open for her. She gazed at me in what appeared to be genuine gratitude, and descended into the car. I entered beside her, crossing my arms and maintaining as hostile an aura as I could.<p>

"Seto Kaiba," she began softly—so softly that not even the driver in front could hear her, "I am the one who stole the millennium item from Muto…"


	28. Chapter 28

"What!" I snapped in such a harsh tone that even my driver flinched. I turned my gaze to her and was quite sure that if it had been only the two of us in that car, I would have strangled her on the spot. Recovering my calm mien, I leaned towards her as if to kiss her.

"Now tell me why you would even dare to show your face to me," I whispered, my hands gripping her shoulder tightly. I watched my driver's response in the mirror and could see a smug smile on his face. No doubt my acting was working well—from his angle at least, we looked as if a young couple in lust.

She did not respond, but I felt her hand grab mine. I felt her pass something cold and metallic into my palm. I wrapped my hand around it and pulled away from her. When I opened my palm, I found myself staring at an elaborate key made of gold with simple loop at the top. I frowned as I felt a shudder pass through me as I continued to stare at it.

She seemed to catch my drift from my actions earlier, and leaned towards me as she spoke.

"That is the millennium key, the item that Muto has been keeping in his possession to give to you," she explained. I tightened my grip on the piece of metal. This plain-looking thing was what had ended Muto in the hospital like that?

"Why give this to me now?" I asked sharply.

"Because it was meant to be yours," she replied in that vague, infuriating manner of hers.

"Right. And I suppose fate wasn't happy with Muto handing it to me himself?"

She did not answer, for we had reached my mansion. I nodded to the driver and he gave me a knowledgeable wink in my direction. Clearly, I wasn't being strict enough with my employees. I gave him a stern glare in his direction, and was happy to see his smile fade.

Ishizu followed me into my home in silence. Remembering the possibility of wire-tapping, I took her to the one room I had checked thoroughly and had found no traces of any recording device—my bedroom. She seemed to hesitate in the doorway.

"Unless you like our conversation potentially overheard by others…" I began.

She nodded and followed me in, shutting the door behind her. With the sudden privacy, I released any soft of restraint I had exercised earlier. My hand was on her throat, pinning her to the wall.

"Now, give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you now," I demanded.

She looked at me with no trace of fear in her eyes. Dammit, I thought, she probably knew that I wouldn't kill her. I released my hold on her and turned away.

"Well?" I asked.

"The millennium key has the ability to enter others' minds—to discover all their secrets and…to alter them as well," she said. I glanced at the key in my hand. It would be so easy to use this on her; to tell me everything I had wanted to know…

"If you're considering using the key on me, I must warn you—entering my mind will give you access to the countless futures I have seen. If you are prepared to have the burden of being bound by the vision of the future as I am, then by all means…"

"You saw Muto getting injured, didn't you? Why do you always do nothing?" I hissed, turning to face her once more.

"I can see many potential futures with my necklace. I choose the course of action that would lead to no one's death," she replied smoothly.

"If you hadn't stolen the millennium item, none of this would have happened," I said.

"So you think. If you had obtained the millennium item—Mokuba would have been kidnapped in order to prevent you from using it. In your confidence that you could save him without relinquishing the item, you would have sealed Mokuba's death," she said, closing her eyes as if she could see that future.

I wanted to say something to refute what she had said—but a part of me knew she was right. My pride…

"And Muto paid the price," I finally said.

"He will recover with time. I do not regret my decision, Kaiba. I will always act to prevent death—whatever the cost may be," she replied. I grabbed her arm tightly.

"Even if it means your own death?" I hissed.

"When I meant death, I meant all death, including my own," she replied, her eyes blazing, "Do not presume to understand me, Kaiba. Nor do I ask forgiveness from you. I came to deliver the millennium item to you. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Don't think I'm letting you go that easily," I said, tightening my grip on her arm, "I'm not letting you go until you tell me everything you know. If I ever feel like you are concealing anything from me, I will not hesitate to use the millennium key."

"You will not use that millennium item on me, that I am sure of," she replied. I released my hold on her and turned away as I saw her arm bruise.

I suddenly felt all the tension in my body suck my energy away. I sat upon my bed, feeling fatigue and exhaustion hit me all at once. I felt her sit beside me, yet made no effort to move.

"How are you related to the one who kidnapped my brother?" I asked.

She bowed her head lower, and I sensed her tense with anxiety.

"You love your brother, do you not?" she asked instead of giving me a reply.

"The answer to that should be obvious," I retorted. Why was I tolerating her presence? My patience was ebbing, yet I felt strangely calm.

"I love my brother as well," she said, "Despite all that he has done…and will do."

Brother? Wait…did that mean?

"The one responsible for everything—the one responsible for kidnapping my brother—is your brother?" I asked, dumb with shock. Why had I not seen it before? The same olive-skin, the same angled features…if not for the maniacal glow of his eyes, their resemblance was clear.

"Marik…is my older brother," she began. I could sense that telling me this was difficult for her, so I held my tongue to let her speak at her own pace.

Suddenly, many things were beginning to fall into place. The reason she had concealed my enemy's identity, the reason she had done nothing to prevent any of the attacks, yet had faithfully rescued me afterward, the reason she had closed the case regarding my attack at Kaiba Corporations…

She had been acting as her brother's protector just as I was acting as Mokuba's protector—to protect him at any cost…


	29. Chapter 29

"My brother and I are part of the tomb keeper clan. Born into the fate to act as the protectors of the Pharaoh's tomb, our duty was to safeguard the millennium items and the pharaoh's body until he chose to return to this world. For generations, the tomb keeper clan kept to this duty," she explained.

I nodded. Story time, I thought wryly.

"My mother—who wore the millennium necklace before me—had foreseen the rebirth of the pharaoh. Thus my brother and I—along with the other young ones of the tomb keeper clan—were trained more fiercely for the upcoming battle to come. My brother, Marik, hated the training. He despised violence and preferred a peaceful life—one that he was not allowed to have. He…" she paused, her eyes shifting in discomfort.

I sighed and lightly placed my hand on hers. She looked up at me and smiled. I turned away and withdrew my hand quickly. Was I becoming too soft once again?

"He hated living in the shadows as we did. In order to find some semblance of happiness for him, I found jobs for the two of us at the Egyptian museum. He was happy—being able to interact with others outside of the clan, to explore the museum in his downtime—and I thought all was well. And perhaps it was…until we were given our millennium items…"

Ishizu fingered her millennium necklace and I began to wonder what she was like before she could peer into the future. Before all of her actions were controlled by her knowledge of what was to come.

"My brother was given the millennium rod, and I could tell his immediate dislike of the object. For someone who treasured freedom as he did…to be given an item that would force others to one's own will was disgusting. He refused the item over and over again, yet my father—the head of the clan—refused to listen to his pleas. And I saw a fate for my brother in darkness…bound to the servitude of the tomb keeper clan, bound to a power that he despised. I wanted to free him from that…

"My brother completed his training and was chosen to become the next leader of the tomb keeper clan. I could see him falling deeper into despair. He was being bound to a fate that he did not desire…a fate that he feared…

"I decided it was time for me to act. I planned secretly with my brother to run away from home, leaving the millennium items behind. Spurred on by my audacity, he agreed with my plan. Though I never uttered this truth to anyone, the millennium necklace was a burden that I wished to throw away as well.

"Yet on the night that we were to run away, my father discovered our plans. Believing that I was the one who told my father, my brother turned to attack me—and my life was spared only because of my mother's sacrifice. Horrified at what he had done, my brother truly fell into darkness, the very darkness that I had tried to save him from…and used his millennium rod to force my father to commit suicide," she explained.

I was surprised at how calmly she related the story of her family's demise. Perhaps she had played the incident in her mind enough times until she had become numb. Or perhaps she had seen more horrific events in the future that made the tragedy of her family pale in comparison.

After a moment's silence, she concluded, "If I had done nothing to alter my brother's fate, my mother and father would still be alive. I am responsible for my brother's sins, and therefore, I will take the punishment for them as well."

"He deserves to die," I said, shocked at the ferocity of my words.

Ishizu blinked and turned to me in surprise.

"Then let me ask you something. Let's suppose Mokuba was responsible for harming Pegasus and Muto. Would you say that he deserved the same fate?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.

I opened my mouth, but found that no sound came out. What would I do if Mokuba had turned into a demon killer? He was too innocent for me to ever consider that he would become like that.

'Your brother also felt some of the abuse that you did' I heard his voice ring in my mind. It wasn't impossible…just…

"It's not easy, is it?" she asked softly.

"So, what are you planning to do?" I asked and then realized my mistake.

"What will happen has already been decided for me. For now, you will be safe. I will alert you once I know for sure when my brother's next move will occur. But for now, rest and recovery for Mokuba and the pharaoh will be the most important," she said, getting to her feet.

"Ishizu," I said softly, "Thank you and…"

She watched me carefully as I struggled with the next two words.

"…forgive me."

"This is a rare treat, " she said, smiling, "to hear you apologizing."

"Don't get used to it," I immediately retorted, "If you weren't so damn secretive all the time…"

I was interrupted mid-sentence as her lips met mine. I felt myself growl in the back of my throat in satisfaction. Damn, I thought as I felt her warm lips respond to mine, she probably already knew that I was going to apologize to her. She probably already knows…

I broke the kiss to catch my breath and saw her watching me carefully—a little too carefully. So, what I'm about to ask her makes her uneasy, huh?

"You also know about this, then," I said, gesturing to the two of us. She nodded, but said nothing.

"I…" I began. What was it that I wanted to hear from her? Or did I want to hear anything at all? I found myself woefully inadequate at speaking at that moment.

"I envy you," she finally said, "You have the pleasure of falling in love without knowing how it will turn out."

"How is that enviable? I would be able to plan…wait, who said anything about 'falling in love'?" I said. I could feel myself burn with embarrassment just repeating those words.

She laughed softly at my visible embarrassment—as no doubt Muto would have done at the expression I had on my face now. I felt a sudden tinge of guilt. I had become so absorbed in Ishizu's story—to be more precise, in Ishizu herself—that I had temporarily forgotten Muto and his critical condition.

"Muto will be fine," Ishizu said, as if reading my thoughts.

"So you can read my mind now as well?"

"No, that would be your millennium item's specialty," she replied, "I just understand your facial expressions from seeing them in my visions over and over…"

"Right. So when will he wake?" I probed.

"In a few days time. It will obviously take him longer to heal from his injuries…" she said.

"That's fine," I said, "And Mokuba?"

"You will be bringing him home soon enough," she said, "Now, I should get going, unless…" she eyed the bed with a mischievous light in her eyes.

"Gods, no," I spluttered, convinced that I was bright red at the moment. I could even feel my ears heating up.

Her expression rapidly turned from teasing to serious once more as she brought a hand up to my face. While holding my cheek in her palm, she said, "Thank you for listening to me."

I watched her leave the room as the warmth of her palm seemed to sear through my skin.


	30. Chapter 30

Thanks for all the reviews! It makes me really happy to hear feedback from you all! Well, I can't believe I'm finally at 30 chapters...and there's still a lot more to go! Enjoy!

...

I collapsed onto the bed, my mind reeling from what Ishizu had told me. Marik—the name of that purple-eyed demon—was Ishizu's brother. It explained her involvement with the situation, but not her interactions with me. It was as if I was as precious to her as her brother. I blinked in surprise. She had said 'falling in love', hadn't she? Did that mean she had seen our relationship turn into much more than it was now?

Relationship. I blamed my sappy thinking to fatigue and decided a shower would be best to clear my head. As I felt the rush of cold water on my bare skin, I thought of the millennium item I had been given. The power to read minds...who would be a good person to practice its power on?

I thought to the first kidnapper—one of Pegasus' bodyguards. Yes, I thought, he would be good practice. If I could extract information from him, any more information regarding Marik…but perhaps it was best to use the key on Ishizu, after all. She knew the most about Marik—his strengths and his weaknesses. But her warning about seeing the future echoed in my mind. Besides, she would never forgive me if I forced myself into her private thoughts that way.

My mind wandered to the thought of Ishizu watching her mother die to protect her, her father forced to commit suicide…yet still, determined to protect her brother. The pain and nightmares that must have followed the event. Her parents had died three years ago, she had told me…three years of guilt…

I closed my eyes. Something didn't make sense. If her brother had killed her parents in anger against her—how had she survived? I felt the undercurrent of doubt resurface. Was it always going to be this way with her? Secrets, doubt, anger, frustration…and lust.

I ran a finger over my lips. The cold water was doing nothing to cool the sensations running through me. I wanted her azure eyes to glare at me with anger, her pride emanating through her being. Her warm lips on mine—our bodies almost touching. I felt an ache run through me as I thought of her olive-toned skin…

My eyes snapped open as the thought of olive-skin brought the image of Marik back into my mind. Where was he these past three years? And why had he only recently begun to target me?

And a small voice in the back of my mind asked me: How much of the future can Ishizu see?

My eyes narrowed. She wanted to protect her brother—she said because she loved him, but I knew better. She was driven primarily by guilt. Guilt to take on the sins of her brother for herself. Which meant that she would stop at nothing to take the blame for Marik's actions. I slammed a fist into the wall. How could I be so blind?

It was as if every time I saw her, I was placed under a spell, blindly believing everything she told me. Her lips felt like poison, poison that I willingly swallowed each time. As if she had brainwashed me with those azure eyes of hers…

Brainwash. I turned off the shower and stood with drops of cold water streaming down my body. Ishizu had said that Marik's millennium rod could force others to do what he wished. A type of mind control? Or brainwashing? If it was true that the millennium rod could control others actions and thoughts—then only a millennium item that could probe into minds could undo that. The millennium key.

It explained why Marik had targeted me the most. Other than Muto himself, my millennium item posed the greatest threat to his. As I pondered over the ability of the millennium rod, several events clicked into place.

My eyes narrowed as I thought to the attack at Kaiba Corporations. The MRI scans of the dead men had shown activity in the frontal lobe; the part of the brain responsible for decision-making, which meant that the only logical explanation was that Marik had been using his millennium rod on those men in order to control their actions. And the reason the men in Cairo had continued to come after me despite being injured was not because they felt no pain, but that they were forced to come after me despite being in pain.

I felt sick as I thought of all the men I had killed. Those men probably had no involvement with Marik at all. They were only puppets, which Marik had used at his disposal, that bastard. But in order to control all those men at once—if I understood the ability of the millennium items properly—Marik would have to have been in the vicinity, watching my struggles to survive.

The power of the millennium rod…seemed familiar somehow. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall as I felt a wave of fatigue hit my system. I felt my vision shift, and found myself in a giant hallway—a throne room of sorts, I supposed—and inwardly groaned. Back to the hallucinations again. I figured it had something to do with the millennium key and decided to think as little as I could of the situation.

I was walking forward towards the end of the hall, and knelt as soon as I reached the end.

"Rise, High Priest Seth," a voice commanded. A voice that I knew quite well—Muto's voice.

I looked up as I stood up straight and found myself meeting the eyes of a man who could have been Muto's double. The same tri-colored hair and millennium puzzle hanging from his neck adorned his features, yet he wore a copious amount of gold. The pharaoh, I realized, bowing slightly once more.

"In honor of your new position, I will grant you a gift," Muto—the pharaoh—said.

"It is a great honor to receive the pharaoh's blessings alone," I responded.

"Nonetheless, this gift to you is one of utmost importance," the pharaoh continued, and produced a solid gold staff of sorts—the same one I had seen in the vision Ishizu had conjured up at the museum.

The millennium rod, I realized, my mouth going dry. I bowed and extended my hands to receive the millennium item. I felt its weight upon my palms and wrapped my fingers around its cold length.

My eyes snapped open and I found myself out of breath. I coughed, trying to force my system back into normal breathing. I had returned to my bathroom, drenched in cold sweat mixed with cold water from the shower. I shivered and turned the shower back on, turning the knob until the water scalded my skin.

I needed to regain my sanity, I decided, as steam filled the room. Millennium items, crazy brothers, kidnappings, hallucinations of a past life…I sighed. Not for the first time did I wish for a quiet life. What happened to the low profile, safe life I had tried to build for Mokuba and me? Now he didn't even have a middle school to return to.

When I thought about the kidnapping, about how Marik had known both about the 'secret base' we used as kids and about the abuse I—and Mokuba as well—had suffered at my stepfather's hand, I was puzzled, to say the least. If the power to read minds was the millennium key's power and not the millennium rod's…how did he know about those two aspects of my past?

My past…I felt anger burn through my body as realization hit me. That witch indeed—the millennium necklace's power was two-fold, I remembered. She had shown me a past life—looking into the past of the same life should have been easy enough for her. There was no doubt in my mind that it had been her. She had looked into my past and Mokuba's and seen precisely the weaknesses that would have been useful for Marik to exploit.

She was playing a dangerous game, if she wanted to protect her brother while maintaining the semblance of aiding me. But the question of why remained. If she wanted to see to my demise, leaving me alone would have been enough. Then why?

I put a new suit on and drove back to the hospital on my own. The thought of leaving myself vulnerable to anyone—let it be the driver I had hired, or even the employees I had hand-picked for Kaiba Corporations—filled me with unease. I needed to interrogate Pegasus' bodyguard myself, but I was convinced that he had been under Marik's control. In fact, Marik could control anyone around me at any time.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. If that was the case…why had he hesitated to do so earlier? He could easily drive me into a corner by turning those close to me against me. What was keeping him from doing so?

I found some answers…but was left with a series of many more questions. And I knew that I couldn't trust Ishizu to answer them for me. I frowned and clutched the millennium key that hung around my neck. I could feel the weight of the key and the cold metal upon my skin.

A burden, I thought, remembering Pegasus and Muto's warnings about the millennium items. A burden that I would utilize to the fullest extent to get the answers I needed.

...

Note: I really wanted to write parts of this chapter in third person so I could describe Seto in the shower more...but I'll leave that to your imagination instead :P


	31. Chapter 31

Thanks for all the reviews! Hearing feedback from you all keeps my momentum going! :)

...

I entered the emergency department, the millennium key pressed against my skin. I could feel its cold touch against me constantly. I paused as I passed Muto's room, and entered Mokuba's instead. Somehow, I felt like seeing Mokuba's stable condition would better prepare me to see Muto's less than desirable one.

Mokuba brightened as I walked into the room. He was sitting up, chewing his meal slowly. Other than the bandages covering his arms and face, he looked no different from normal, except—

"The short hair looks good on you," I commented, taking a seat next to him. He grinned.

"Yeah, I kind of look more like you now," he replied, digging into his dessert.

"That might not be a good thing," I said, ruffling his hair.

"Why not? Then I could be just as popular with the girls as you are," he said. I almost choked on the water I had been drinking.

"Who said I was popular with the girls?" I retorted. I was glad to see that his usual light-hearted manner was intact despite the attack. Or, I thought as a current of doubt ran through me, he was pretending to be unaffected by the incident. Just as he pretended to be ok despite my stepfather's treatment of him...

I suddenly felt the urge to use the millennium key. I didn't want to force Mokuba to tell me about that time—there was a chance he had blocked it from his memory, after all. But I wanted to know. I wanted to know what pain he had gone through. And the millennium key could help me see what he concealed from me.

"Max mentioned that you left the hospital earlier with the curator of the Egyptian museum. Oh, and Kisara's in the next room watching over Yami," Mokuba said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"What, Kisara's here?" I asked.

"Yeah. She came and checked up on me, and asked where you were. Max mentioned that you went with that curator and then she went to go see Yami," Mokuba explained. I felt a surge of anger. Did she not understand what I meant when I asked her to stay away from me? Especially now—being associated with me would place her in danger. I cringed inwardly as I thought of her body mangled as Muto's was now. I clenched my fists and stood up.

Mokuba caught the look in my eyes and decided to say nothing. I nodded in thanks to him and headed over to see Muto.

Muto was still unconscious—a bandaged mummy. Kisara was sitting in the chair beside him, watching his lifeless form with empty-looking eyes. Pegasus was passed out on the couch on the other side of Muto.

"Kisara," I said, my anger keeping me from uttering anything else coherent.

"Kaiba," she responded, meeting my gaze. My anger ebbed as I saw the look in her eyes. They were beyond shocked—they were numb. And I realized that she knew all too well what I had meant when I had asked her to stay away. Muto's condition was enough to inform her of that.

"Thank you for coming," I said instead. She gave me a slight nod and went back to gaze at Muto.

"Did the doctor say anything about when he might wake up?" she asked.

"He should be okay in a few days," I replied, finding myself repeating Ishizu's message.

"I'm glad," she said in a voice devoid of any emotion. I took a seat beside her.

"You okay?" I asked. Truth be told, I was shocked to see her this way. It was almost as if Mokuba had lost his smile…

She looked surprised and then shook her head.

"When I heard about the explosion at Domino middle school, I knew that Mokuba and Muto had gotten injured. But I didn't expect to find Muto like this…" she responded.

"It should have been me," I said before I could stop myself. She looked up at me, a question in her eyes.

"Muto ended up like this since he protected Mokuba from the falling rubble," I explained, "I was there…but…"

"It's not your fault," she said softly.

"She's right. Stop being so hard on yourself," Pegasus said. I turned to him in surprise. How long had he been awake? Or had he been asleep at all?

"I let my guard down too much. I'm not letting it happen again," I said. Turning to Kisara, I asked her to leave. She shook her head.

"You're obviously worried about Muto, but too proud to overcome your own guilt to watch over him," she snapped. I flinched at her harsh tone, but knew that she was right. I remembered the time I had said to Pegasus that she didn't know me, and found myself smirking at my mistake. Perhaps she knew me a little too well.

"I'm going to watch over him instead," she concluded.

"It's too dangerous," I said.

"Watching over someone in the hospital is dangerous? How weak do you think I am?" she demanded, crossing her arms. I sighed. Women were going to be the end of me, of that I was sure.

Pegasus was watching our quarrel with an amused look on his face.

"What's the harm in letting her keep Yami company?" he asked. Two against one. I sighed once more.

"Fine, do as you please," I said, turning on my heel to leave the room. As I turned, I heard a monitor beep loudly. I turned and watched in alarm as Muto's heart rate suddenly increased—and then became erratic. Muto began to convulse uncontrollably on the bed. Pegasus rushed to the phone to call for the physician, as Kisara ran out to grab the nearest nurse. I stood frozen to the spot, feeling the millennium key pulsate.

My eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary seizure, that much I could tell. The vibrations that the millennium key was emitting were warning enough for me. I knew what to do. I pulled the key from underneath my clothing and felt my hand shake as I prepared to use the millennium item for the first time. I placed the tip of the key on Muto's forehead and twisted it to the right, as if opening a lock. Muto continued to seize as I hoped that my hunch was correct.

I felt a force grab hold of me and suck me in. The negative pressure pulling me towards Muto strained my entire system. I gritted my teeth as pain shot through my body. I didn't know how much more of this I could take.

Suddenly, I was weightless. I could no longer see Muto's convulsing form, nor hear the monitor's crazed beeping. I could vaguely sense Pegasus' voice, but could no longer make out what he was saying. It was as if I had entered a boundary. Hurry up, I commanded to myself, and felt myself move past the limbo I had been in into a vast darkness. Muto, I'm coming…


	32. Chapter 32

Out of the darkness where I was suspended flew pictures and images. I narrowed my eyes, trying to adjust to the varying levels of light. After a few seconds, my eyes adjusted and I was able to make out the images that flashed past me. Muto's memories and thoughts, I realized, recognizing one moving image as the first time he had seen me. I felt emotions emanating from the image, and moved towards it.

Feelings of disbelief, disappointment and fear. Muto had been afraid of me? I frowned. That explained his initial hostility towards me. After all, a fragment from his dreams was alive in front of him. I ignored the creeping sensation filling my system as I watched myself through Muto's eyes.

I turned away from that image to see a series of images from school. Times with Pegasus and me. And with Kisara. My eyes narrowed as I saw that a lot of his attention had been focused on her. As I approached the time when she had kissed, I felt a surge of anger burst from Muto's memory. Although he had been smiling and joking with me at the time—his hidden reaction spoke to his true feelings. He was jealous of me…of Kisara's attraction to me.

Images of Kisara at swim practice, her red-rimmed eyes at the hospital when I was in a temporary coma…all this time, Muto had been paying so much attention to her. Feeling as if I was probing too much into Muto's inner thoughts, I moved in the direction the millennium key was urging me towards. As I moved forward, I saw images of Muto as a child, playing with his father, visiting digs in Egypt, laughing as he was covered in dirt.

The final image that flashed before me was the moment when Muto had been given the millennium puzzle. I found myself looking at an elaborately decorated golden box. As Muto's hands reached forward, I felt undercurrents of excitement—but also anxiety. As soon as he saw the pieces of the puzzle, his hands moved on their own. I was suddenly bombarded by fragments of memories—memories of Muto's past life.

The pharaoh as a child, as a teenager. The pharaoh taking in new servants. My eyes widened as I recognized two of the servants that the pharaoh had chosen as his personal attendants…one was undoubtedly me…the way I had looked back when I was in the orphanage. A younger me with the same jaded look I had worn at the orphanage was sitting beside a young girl with silver-blue hair. When she turned towards the pharaoh, I gasped in shock at her resemblance to Kisara.

The images scattered, and I found myself suspended over the most bizarre room I had ever seen. As my feet touched lightly upon the floor, I looked around. There were stairs and corridors everywhere—many of them defying gravity itself. The millennium key was urging me towards one corridor in particular. As I walked in silence, I could feel a chill filling my system. He was here; there was no doubt about it. Daring to invade Muto's mind while he was comatose—I should've expected nothing better from him.

And this time I was ready.

I came face-to-face with a black door at the end of the corridor. I placed my hand to the door and felt it open with little resistance. As I entered, I heard chilling laughter come from the shadows of the room.

"Show yourself, Marik!" I demanded, holding the millennium key in front of me.

"You are easy to bait, Kaiba," he hissed, stepping from out of the shadows. I felt a surge of anger, as I finally stood face-to-face with the monster that I had been chasing all this time. He cocked his head to the side and gave me a look full of pride—crazed pride. How different yet similar to the look Ishizu always gave me, I thought bitterly.

"Get out of Muto's head," I hissed.

"Or else what?" he demanded, crossing his arms. He continued to have an infuriating smile on his face. I saw his hand wrapped around the millennium rod and felt an urge to take it. It had been in the past, after all. It deserved to be mine, and mine alone.

"Tell you what," I said, a small smirk spreading across my features, "You want my millennium key, right? Well, let's have a duel with our items—to see who is truly worthy of having both of them."

"Interesting proposition, Kaiba. Very well. And your terms are?" he asked in an almost polite manner. He was toying with me, that much was obvious. The glow emanating from the millennium rod was indication enough that he was toying with me while further exhibiting his control over Muto's unconscious mind.

"The first one to enter the other's mind will be the victor," I said. I hoped this would force Marik into diverting all of the millennium rod's power to me, thereby releasing Muto from his hold.

"Well then, let's begin!" he roared, holding the millennium rod in front of me. I held up the millennium key as a shield as I felt his power begin to surge towards me.

"You won't control me that easily," I hissed, throwing my life force towards him using the key. Our items glowed brighter than before, illuminating the entire room. Shadows erupted from the millennium rod, turning into dark, bodiless hands reaching for me.

I whipped the millennium key in front of me, cutting the shadow hands one by one. Part of my mind had decided that I had gone mad, but I ignored it and continued to whip the key and felt it extend in my hand into a golden sword. I spun and dodging several shadow hands at once raced towards Marik. All I needed to do to enter his mind is touch him with this sword. Better yet, I wanted to thrust the blade through his heart.

As I thrusted forward, he parried me with his millennium rod with enviable ease. Before I could react, his leg connected with my face. I hit the cold, stone floor. I felt winded from the impact, but moved quickly as another series of shadow hands came towards my vulnerable state.

The millennium key returned to its original form, as I stood, blood dripping from my head.

"Weak, Kaiba. Too weak. And I did want to play with you some more," Marik hissed, coming towards me. I felt cold sweat form on my skin. I was afraid, truly afraid of what he was capable of. Of what he could do to me. Gritting my teeth, I braced for his next attack.

Without warning, I felt a powerful blast of light fill the room, and felt Marik's presence enter my mind. I struggled in vain to eject him from my thoughts—but to no avail. I howled in pain as he forced his will onto mine. I felt my body begin to move without my permission.

A sudden burst of light filled the room, and I felt Marik weaken from the new force.

"Get—out—of—my—head," I roared. I thrust the key into his chest, feeling the millennium item extend into the sword form it had been in earlier.

He laughed in amusement, but I could feel his grip on me fading. I watched in surprise as his body faded away into nothingness, his wicked smile the last thing I saw before he completely vanished.


	33. Chapter 33

I pulled myself out of Muto's mind, gasping for air as I returned to my own body. Surprisingly, my head still ached from Marik's kick, and I wondered whether Marik's injury had transferred to his physical body as well. I was lying in a hospital bed. I sat up and looked around. No one was around—I was in a hospital room on my own.

I got to my feet somewhat unsteadily and found that Muto's room was only a few doors down from me. Dragging myself over to his room, I sighed in relief as I saw his peacefully resting figure. His heartbeat was back to normal, his breathing soft and regular. Pegasus and Kisara leapt to their feet as they saw me.

"What happened?" Pegasus asked, watching me with concern. I looked quickly at Kisara before realizing that Pegasus was making no attempt to hide his millennium eye.

"Marik used his millennium rod to try to control Muto. I just stopped him…for the moment, at least," I explained. Pegasus nodded and Kisara watched me carefully.

"Your head," she finally said. I raised a hand to my head and realized that I was bleeding.

"I-I'll go get a nurse for you," she said and left the room. Her features displayed shock, confusion and above all else, worry.

"How much does she know?" I asked to Pegasus.

"Well, when she came back with the nurse, she saw you using the millennium key—and subsequently pass out. Muto continued to seize erratically, but then suddenly stopped. After the nurses moved your unconscious form to another room, I ended up using my millennium eye," Pegasus explained quickly.

I nodded. I now understood the source of the light that had saved me from Marik's control. I made a mental note to thank Pegasus later.

"Does she understand anything that she saw?" I asked.

"I didn't get a chance to explain anything, no," Pegasus replied. I looked down to the millennium key once more. If I could view others' memories—did it mean I could also change them as well?

Kisara returned with the nurse. I allowed the bandages and waited until the nurse left the room to pull out the millennium key once more.

"I'm sorry about this," I muttered to Kisara. She looked up at me in confusion as I placed the millennium key on her forehead and twisted it to the right.

I entered her mind faster than I had entered Muto's—either I was getting used to the millennium key's power, or Muto had developed more mental resistance than Kisara—and found myself surrounded by Kisara's memories.

Images of me—of my focused attention on my laptop to Kisara' s quick glances at me as I walked down the hallway—her attempts every morning to approach me. I cringed as I saw the almost annoyed look I had given her time and time again. I felt disappointment flood her system as I refused once more to greet her, but she quickly recovered, watching me carefully.

I could feel her desire to understand me more, her careful attention to every facial expression and body movement I made, her anxiety every time she approached me. I felt her crushing depression as I rejected her on the rooftop, and the way she felt torn into two as I wrapped my arms around her.

Stupid, insensitive me, I thought bitterly, moving away from that memory. I saw the energy and determination she exhibited during her swim practice and during swim meets. The friendly way she greeted everyone, and the way bounced with enthusiasm as she saw her friends.

I finally found the memory I had been looking for. I felt her shock as I pulled out the millennium key and her worry and concern as my body collapsed to the ground. Through her eyes, I saw the confusion of the doctors and nurses as they saw Muto's seizure disappear, only to reappear once again. I watched Pegasus pull his hair back to reveal his golden eye—dammit, I had to erase the memories of the doctors and nurses in the room, too—and use a fraction of the power I had seen him use in Cairo.

I reached for the memory, and focused my attention on it, willing it to disappear. Finding it too difficult to make the memory disappear altogether, I worked instead to modify the details. I removed the images of the millennium items and made it appear as if I had received my head wound from fainting and hitting the metal rim of the hospital bed as I fell.

Satisfied with my work, I pulled myself out of her mind. I felt strong hands help me to my feet and nodded to Pegasus in thanks. Kisara slowly opened her eyes.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked me. I nodded, hoping that the memory modification had been successful. She turned to Muto's sleeping form.

"I guess it was a good thing I was here, after all," she commented, "All you were good for was fainting."

She had the ghost of a smile on her face as if trying to make light of the situation. I sighed in relief. It was better if she remembered nothing, and knew nothing. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I thought to how close I had been to losing everything to Marik. He was far stronger than I had anticipated, and I began to understand the warnings I had received stating that I was not yet ready.

Not ready indeed. My mind turned to Kaiba Corporations. I needed my company's full strength if I was going to take this maniac down. Relying on some crazy magic from 5000 years ago was not going to cut it. I needed to be better prepared before I faced Marik again…


	34. Chapter 34

So my major concern as I continue writing this fic is that Kaiba is becoming too ooc. I'm interested in your thoughts about how I've portrayed his personality thus far...thanks! :)

...

"So you think you can defeat me?" he sneered, brandishing his millennium rod in front of me. I narrowed my eyes. There was no way I would lose to him again. I pulled out my millennium key, tightening my grip on its handle.

"You think that thing can stand up to my power?" he demanded, as the shadows around him grew in size. I stood my ground. There was no way I was going to lose. My pride would never allow it.

"This alone is more than enough," I hissed, pouring my energy into the item. It glowed in response, preparing to elongate into it sword form. I poised, ready to attack.

He laughed in response.

"What makes you believe I should be defeated at all? Are you that different from me?" he continued. I knew he was messing with my head, but still could not help but shudder at his comment. True, we were both older brothers—but that was where the similarities ended. I was nothing like this monster—I was nothing like my stepfather.

He continued to laugh as my hand began to shake. Dammit, I'm not letting him intimidate me. I growled in response and whipping the millennium key into a slender golden sword.

"Do you think that killing me will make Ishizu happy?" he continued, unperturbed as I crouched into position.

"I don't give a damn about her," I hissed, and rushed forward. I slashed without hesitation, but just as my blade made contact with his body, he vanished, his laughter remaining in the air.

"Marik!" I cried out into the darkness. I felt a form materialize behind me and I turned, sword in hand—and found myself face-to-face with Ishizu.

"Why…why did you kill my brother?" she asked me, tears falling from her face.

"I…" I realized I had no answer for her. I felt my throat constrict, my vision going dark. But I could still hear her sobs as the rest of my senses failed…

I woke up with my heart hammering in my chest. I took deep gulps of air, grateful that I was sleeping alone in my room. Everything is fine as it is, I told myself. Mokuba had been discharged earlier that day, and was peacefully sleeping in his room across the hall. Muto had yet to wake up, but his condition was improving slowly at least. Pegasus was keeping on eye on him, just in case. And Kisara had finally gone home.

As I tried to reassure myself of reality, I felt the dream creep back into my thoughts. It had felt too real, too vivid. And his voice echoed in my mind—'do you think that killing me will make Ishizu happy?'

I clenched my fists. What I had said in the dream was true. I didn't give a damn about her. I would get rid of Marik—using whatever means necessary. Realizing that any attempts to sleep in the immediate future would be useless, I opened up my laptop. The craziness of the past weekend had kept me from keeping close track of Kaiba Corporations.

I was glad to see no major fluctuations in activity during the past two days—business had gone as usual. But at this rate, my company would fade into the woodworks of the corporate world. I needed to get the Duel Monsters project up and running. I made a mental note to discuss the signing of the project and jotted down notes for the timeline for production, testing and release.

While a card game was a simple enough concept, the variety of cards that this game would require, as well as the combinations that could be played needed to be tested. I began writing a simple program that would simulate game play for Duel Monsters. I would leave the majority of the card design to Pegasus. Since the game's roots were in ancient Egypt, it would be good to get Muto's input once he was back on his feet…

I leaned back in my chair, feeling relaxed now that I had returned to my work. A nagging thought, however, kept me from relaxing completely.

What to do about Marik's ability to control others' minds? While I could break his control on others, I was vulnerable to his power myself. I hated feeling so weak—so useless. I needed to set a trap for him—but if he was warned by his sister about my next move before I even executed it…I needed to find the weakness in Ishizu's millennium item. And the best way to do so would be to meet with her in person.

I groaned. The last thing I wanted to do was meet her again, but if I wanted to take Marik down, I needed to use her—just as she had been using me to protect her brother. I opened my email and typed:

Ishizu, Let's meet for dinner. You probably already know when and where. –Seto

I grimaced as I sent the email. Pegasus would criticize me for my complete lack of etiquette in asking a girl out on a date, but I didn't care. I figured if I were seriously asking her out, I would make more of an effort.

If I ever asked Kisara out on a date, I would be a gentleman. She deserved as much, after all. I frowned. But there was no way I could ask her out, now that I knew how Muto felt about her. He had masked his feelings well, seeming to support Kisara and me from the sidelines. Perhaps he was supporting us, knowing it would make Kisara happy. Too damn selfless as usual.

I closed my eyes, feeling at ease as I thought about Kisara. I was glad that I had been able to get her to forget anything about the millennium items at least. I needed at least one person around me that wasn't involved in all this crazy ancient Egyptian madness.

She was relentless. I would give her that. Even after my flat rejection, she had come and was determined to keep an eye on Muto. She had more backbone that I had previously given her credit for. Perhaps even more than Ishizu.

I sighed, feeling sleep course through my system. Perhaps I could get some shuteye, after all. If Ishizu were the source of my nightmares, I thought sleepily, then Kisara would be the source of my peace…


	35. Chapter 35

I decided that school was on the bottom of my priorities, and went straight to work instead, taking Mokuba with me. I was in the middle of searching for a private tutor for him—I was convinced that he was no longer safe at school or anywhere out of my sight, for that matter—and for the time being, let him lounge in my office. I frowned as my secretary came in with a long list of individuals requesting meetings with me. Some of them were from small start-up companies—no doubt hoping that I would buy their idea and bring it to market—and others were from corporations that rivaled Industrial Illusions in size.

The phone rang as I was perusing the list, and I picked it up without checking the number.

"May I speak to Mr. Seto Kaiba?" a voice asked politely on the other end. I found myself smiling at how stiff and formal she sounded.

"Kaiba speaking," I responded, my smile broadening. Mokuba watched me with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ah, oh, sorry…um, it's Kisara. I just wanted to let you know that Muto's woken up," she said.

"How is he?" I asked.

"He seems to be doing fine. The doctors said he's out of the critical stage now, and are planning to do some further surgery for the burns he received," she replied.

"He must be glad you're there," I responded, feeling a twinge of guilt.

"Yeah. I'm glad I'm here to keep him company, too," she said.

"Skipping school?" I asked, my smile returning.

"Same as you, I'm assuming," she countered.

"Fair enough. Is Muto nearby?"

"Yeah. I'll give him the phone."

"Kaiba?" I heard Muto's voice from the other end. I felt the tension that I had subconsciously built up since his injury ebb away as I heard his voice.

"Yeah," I managed, after a moment's pause.

"Sorry to worry you," he said.

"Who said I was worried?" I retorted. Mokuba was watching me with a big grin on his face. I rolled my eyes and turned so that I was no longer facing him.

I heard Muto's laughter on the other end.

"Do you have any plans to visit sorry old me?" he asked. He had been spending too much time around Pegasus, if he was starting to joke around with me like this.

"I'll be over during my lunch break, granted my secretary doesn't spring a surprise meeting on me," I said, my eyes glancing through my schedule for the day.

"Good. We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?" he asked, innocently. I immediately caught his meaning, however.

"We do indeed," I affirmed. I almost groaned as my cell phone rang in my pocket.

"You'll have to excuse me—I think Pegasus is calling me now as well," I said.

"See you soon," he responded, cutting the call.

I flipped open my cell phone and turned to respond to emails as I heard Pegasus on the other end.

"Kaiba boy! I wanted to let you know that Muto…" he started.

"…I already know. Kisara just called me," I interrupted.

"So you two are that close already, huh?" he joked.

"Is there anything in that head of yours other than girls?" I retorted as I opened the email from Ishizu. As if I'm one to talk, I thought sarcastically. Here I was, checking my mail from Ishizu before addressing a majority of my company mail…

Her one line answer was even colder than mine: Seto- Meet me in front of the clock tower in Domino Park at 7pm. -Ishizu

"Actually, only one girl in particular at the moment," he said, laughing, "But I also wanted to let you know that my father's planning on meeting with you later this week to sign off on the Duel Monsters project. I'm sending you several of my card designs now as well."

"Glad you haven't wasted any time," I remarked, "I'd also like to meet with you—professionally—to discuss the game in more depth. I've begun developing software that can simulate game play. This way, we can quality check the game before hiring testers."

"Gotcha. So I didn't get a chance to ask you what really happened after you used the millennium key…" he began.

"Where are you now?" I cut in quickly.

"My home, why?" he asked. I relaxed.

"Are you alone?"

"Other than my bodyguards, it's just me. Why are you acting so paranoid all of a sudden, Kaiba boy?"

"Let's meet at the hospital at noon today. I need to talk with you and Muto," I said, ignoring his question.

"Works for me. And uh, just in case you wanted to graduate at some point—midterms are in another two weeks," he informed me.

"I can take them without studying, you know that," I snapped, "You, on the other hand…"

"My girlfriend's tutoring me, so it'll be okay," he said. I could almost see the lopsided smile on his face at his comment.

"Sure," I replied absentmindedly, "Now I need to get back to work. See you at noon."

After having my secretary send out a request for a private tutor, I opened the email Pegasus had sent for his card designs. He had a talent for art and design, I had to give him that. And he had stayed quite loyal to the creature designs we had seen on the tablets back in Cairo, adding color to the bare frames.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon," I read under one of his monster designs. I narrowed my eyes. Something about the creature seemed all-to-familiar. I closed my eyes, hoping that I would not have another hallucination.

"You okay, Onii-chan?" Mokuba asked from across the desk, without looking up from his video games.

"Yeah," I responded, snapping back into consciousness.

As I watched Mokuba continue playing his video games, I sudden thought occurred to me. A simple way to make the card game concept of Duel Monsters more interesting would be to format it into something more visually appealing. Normally, this would mean something along the lines of video games…but I was thinking on a much bigger scale.

My hands raced across my laptop, opening up the hologram technology project file I had just closed. I felt a smile spread across my face. I knew just how to make Duel Monsters the next big hit in the corporate world…


	36. Chapter 36

As I drove to the hospital to meet with Muto and Pegasus, my mind was racing with plans for the Duel Monsters project. I could feel a smile tugging at the corner of my lips, and it was a look that Mokuba did not miss, either.

"What's got you so excited, Seto?" he asked me.

"A new project for the company. If everything goes well, it'll be the main focus for Kaiba Corporations," I replied, turning sharply into the Domino Hospital parking lot.

"Oh cool! I can't wait!" Mokuba said with glee.

I made my way through the hospital, my previous anxiety and doubts clearing. Muto would be fine soon enough; I would get this Duel Monsters project underway and continue researching more about Marik's millennium rod. It had to have a weakness, and I would find it. One way or another.

"Yo," Pegasus said as he saw me.

I nodded in reply and followed him into Muto's room. Kisara was still there, chatting away with Muto. Was it my imagination, or did Muto look happier than usual?

"You came," Muto said, turning to face me. I nodded and took a seat.

"Kisara," I said, "Could you do me a favor? Mokuba's been asking to see the flower garden near here…"

She got to her feet and nodded.

"Shall we go?" she asked Mokuba. Mokuba looked in my direction uneasily. I nodded in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. He followed behind Kisara wordlessly, even though I knew he was filled with anxiety.

I watched Mokuba leave with Kisara with little regret. Marik may be able to control minds, but from experiencing it first hand, I could tell he had some limitations. Controlling more than one individual with a _strong_ mind—as he had tried to do with both Muto and me—was a strain; three was beyond his ability. Kisara's strength of mind would provide Mokuba with protection enough, I decided.

"You're determined to tell them nothing?" Pegasus asked, after Kisara and Mokuba were out of earshot.

"Yes. The less they know, the better," I replied.

"So, what happened while I was unconscious?" Muto asked. His gaze revealed to me that he knew more than was letting on.

"I met with Ishizu," I began. Pegasus coughed. I glared at him and continued.

"She revealed to me that our enemy—Marik—is her older brother," I stated. Muto and Pegasus stared at me in shock.

As I continued relating the rest of her background with her brother, I saw Muto's face darken.

"So that explains the origin of the Rare Hunters," Muto murmured.

"Care to explain what the Rare Hunters are?" I asked.

"The Rare Hunters are the recent underground mafia that has sprung up in Egypt," Muto explained, "And they're notorious for stealing—or obtaining through other means—rare ancient Egyptian artifacts. It's been a mystery as to where they originated from or why they are so interested in the artifacts. None of the stolen artifacts have been sold in any underground dealings as far as my father knows."

"These Rare Hunters are known only by their purple robes and the millennium eye insignia," Pegasus explained, "I had researched them further after encountering them in Cairo, and everything I found suggested that our enemy—Marik, did you say?—is involved with them."

"They're known particularly for trying to steal the millennium items," Muto said.

"How long have they been active?" I probed.

"Very recently. No more than a few years at most," Muto replied, frowning, "No more than three if I remember correctly."

"So the men who attacked us in Cairo…" I began.

"My guess is that the actual size of the Rare Hunters varies. Some—but not all—of the men who attacked you in Cairo must have been part of the Rare Hunters. I had been running your description of the attack in my mind over and over, and it seems highly unlikely that Marik could control all of those men single-handedly. The same must be true for the attack at Kaiba Corporations. Some of those men must have been Rare Hunters," Muto mused aloud.

"So the men sent for MRI scans were only those who were not part of the Rare Hunters," I concluded.

"Someone was probably pulling the strings so that only those who were not Rare Hunters were scanned," Pegasus said, confirming my thoughts. Ishizu, I decided immediately—or her assistant, whatever his name was…

"If what you're telling me about the Rare Hunters is true…then does that mean Marik is the leader?" I asked.

"Highly probable. If he were to be the next Tomb Keeper Clan leader, it would not have taken much for him to convince some of the Tomb Keeper Clan members to follow him," Muto replied.

I remembered then that one of Ishizu's emails had mentioned the Rare Hunters. I pulled out my laptop and scanned until I found that particular email.

"You would be interested in knowing that some of the visitors included the Rare Hunters. I do not believe that they have anything planned for the present, but their presence at the exhibit does worry me," I read aloud.

"What's that from?" Pegasus asked.

"An email from curator Ishtar," I said stiffly, expecting Pegasus' teasing remark to follow. He, however, said nothing.

"It would be good to know more about her involvement with the Rare Hunters," Pegasus finally said.

"I intend to find out. To that means, I will be having dinner with her tonight," I responded.

"Loosen up and say you have a date with her!" Pegasus said. Muto chuckled.

""It's not a date!" I retorted, turning red. If it wasn't a date, what could I call it? A professional business dinner? Yes, I decided, that sounded much better.

"Be careful," Muto warned, being the tension back into the room. I nodded.

"I believe we have one more issue to discuss," Muto remarked. I nodded and proceeded to describe my experience using the millennium key, as well as my encounter with Marik.

"Pegasus, I owe you my thanks for releasing me from his mind control," I said after I had concluded my narration.

"Stop being so stiff. I know you'd do the same," he replied, slinging an arm around me.

"Sure, now get off of me," I grunted. He laughed and pulled away.

"We shouldn't wait around much longer," Muto said after a moment's silence.

"You're not doing anything until you heal," I retorted.

"I am not as bad as I appear, Kaiba. The longer we wait, the more openings Marik will have to strike us. I will contact my father to see if we can schedule another trip to Cairo…" he began.

"No way," I interrupted, "Being in Japan, we have the advantage of being in our home. Going back there would be the same as entering a hornet's nest."

"Would you prefer letting those same hornet's come to Japan instead? To harm Mokuba—or Kisara?" Muto countered. I clenched my fists, but found myself unable to argue with him. The recent kidnapping had only been a warning of what Marik was capable of doing to those close to me.

"I agree with Yami," Pegasus said.

"I'm coming, too," a voice said from the doorway. I turned to see Kisara—and behind her Mokuba—sheepishly grinning at me.

"How long have you two been there?" I asked, exasperatedly.

"Um, since you explained the bit about Ishizu and her brother," Mokuba said. I rolled my eyes. What did one have to do to get some privacy around here?

"I can't believe you went and changed my memory!" Kisara said, hands on her hips.

"I don't like this trip to Cairo idea in the first place, but taking Kisara and Mokuba is out of the question," I said to Muto.

"They are probably safer with us than left alone here," Muto remarked.

"Hey, don't talk about us like we're not here," Mokuba complained. I was beginning to like this situation less and less.

"We have the Duel Monsters project to get under way," I protested, hoping to get Pegasus' support in this argument. There was no way I was going to take Mokuba back to Cairo. No way at all…

"If we give ourselves a month to prepare," Pegasus said, "that's enough time to get the Duel Monster's project started enough to take a vacation of sorts."

"It's not a vacation," I muttered, my frustration mounting. I wanted to return to Kaiba Corporations where I could boss around my employees, instead of being forced into a situation that was out of my control. I checked my watch. My lunch hour was almost over and my next meeting would start shortly.

"Fine," I conceded.

"Yay!" Kisara said, wrapping her arms around me. I froze, and untangled myself from her arms. Mokuba tackled me right after.

"You all do realize that this isn't a joy trip, right?" I snapped, getting to my feet.

"We're aware of that," Pegasus replied in a harsher tone than usual, "But that doesn't mean we need to be so uptight about it all the time."

"I'm not letting my guard down. Not now, not ever," I spat, "Mokuba, we're leaving."

Mokuba followed me wordlessly as I left the hospital burning with rage.


	37. Chapter 37

I checked my watch. 7:10pm. She was running late, which was rare for her. Or was it? This was the first time I had planned to meet with her in this type of situation, after all. I had assumed she was the type who would be punctual, but apparently I was wrong.

Why was I so irritated that she was late? I had been in a bad mood ever since I left the hospital earlier in the day. Pegasus had finally managed to get under my skin with his all-too-carefree attitude. And Muto's suggestion to go to Cairo again was plain suicide. I had a strong urge to let Muto and Pegasus go to Cairo alone. If they wanted to go through with this stupid idea, that was none of my business.

My mind flashed back to Muto's form after the kidnapping—a bloodied mess that was barely recognizable. I clenched my fists. He truly had no sense of self, did he? And Kisara—despite all my efforts to keep her out of this mess…

I snapped out of my ruminations when I saw Ishizu walking towards me. She wore a sea-green dress that accentuated her eyes. It was the first time I had seen her in such a bright-colored outfit, and I felt the contrast between her olive-toned skin and the dress alluring. Damn it, I thought, I was already beginning to drop my guard.

Although she maintained her aura of pride and self-confidence, she seemed more graceful than usual. Or it felt that way, at least. Watching her steady stride, I felt my anger from the day melt away.

"I trust you are well, Kaiba?" she asked politely. I nodded, knowing that there was no need for me to tell her of my encounter with Marik. She probably already knew—either from her millennium necklace, or from Marik himself.

"And you?" I asked in return, masking my desire to wrap a hand around her shoulders. I was already risking unwanted attention by meeting in such a public place. It would not do to make it any worse. Besides, I reminded myself, she was as good as my enemy.

"No different from when we last met," she responded. I led her to my car, holding the door open for her. She smiled at me in gratitude and descended into the car. I took a seat beside her.

"Where to?" I asked her.

"Downtown," she said, beginning to give my driver directions. I settled into my seat, crossing my legs. I was definitely feeling the tension and frustration from earlier lessen—contrary to what I had expected. I found myself relaxing, if somewhat reluctantly. It was when she wasn't around that my doubt of her increased. Was I this weak to be influenced by her presence so much?

"I am glad that you are okay," she said softly.

"Are you?" I asked, before I could stop myself. I felt the image of her tear-streaked face pass through my mind. 'Why…why did you kill my brother?' I felt her voice echo in my mind. I felt myself tense as I remembered the nightmare—one that could easily become reality…

"I truly am," she responded.

"I am assuming then that Marik is alright as well?" I asked.

"Despite the injury you gave him, he is still alive, yes," she responded.

"Why bother worrying about me at all?" I asked, turning to her suddenly. Her eyes widened and then narrowed.

"You will understand with time," she responded.

"I've decided that trying to understand anything about you will take more than just time," I remarked.

She laughed, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. Her laugh was light, but with an undercurrent of the same darkness I had heard in Marik's laughter. I frowned and was beginning to have misgivings about deciding to meet with her.

"If it is any consolation, your trip to Cairo will give you some of the answers you seek," she said.

"So, I'm going, after all," I muttered.

"I will be coming with you as well," she said.

"Don't stand in my way," I said. Despite whatever she had planned, whatever she would do to aid Marik, I would not be defeated. Not by her and certainly not by her brother.

She did not respond. I watched from the corner of my eye as her face darkened.

"So, what role do you play for Marik? An informer of my future actions—or of my weaknesses?" I murmured, leaning in towards her. If she were going to play a dangerous game with me, I would play along as well. In order to crush Marik, I would not hesitate to use this woman…

She answered me with her lips on mine. I responded to her kiss with ferocity. I wanted her to be mine—for her every action to be only for me. I felt anger flare at the thought of her treating Marik's wounds, of helping him recover as she had helped me.

My hands found their way to her shoulders, and I relished the feel of her bare skin. This witch was going to be the end of me, I thought vaguely, as I continued to kiss her. I pulled away when I felt the car stop.

As I met her gaze, I saw her eyes glint in triumph. She knew she had me in the palm of her hand, and was doing nothing to hide it. I will win against you, I thought fiercely, as my driver opened the door for us. I took her hand and guided her towards the restaurant.

I will keep you close to me, where I can watch your every move, I thought, my hand tightening around hers.


	38. Chapter 38

"If you hold my hand any tighter, you'll cut off my circulation," Ishizu commented.

I loosened my grip on her hand, but refused to completely let go. I felt her fingers wrap gently around my own and felt a different sensation from the possessiveness I had felt a moment earlier.

As I walked hand-in-hand with her into the restaurant I knew that this 'business meeting' of mine would be plastered on the news. Thus far, the media had been having a field day with news of my attack at Kaiba Corporations, but was hushed from releasing information regarding Mokuba's attack over the weekend thanks to Pegasus' influence.

Pegasus. I closed my eyes as I remembered how his nonchalance had gotten to me earlier and sighed softly. I needed to deal with him for the Duel Monsters project at least. Beyond that, I decided, would need to wait for the moment.

Ishizu felt my sigh and squeezed my hand reassuringly. I was now thoroughly convinced she could read my mind. I needed to figure out the extent of her millennium item's abilities—not knowing was making me uneasy, and quite vulnerable to her attentions.

"Reservation for two, under Seto Kaiba," she said to the waiter at the desk. He nodded and indicated us to follow him.

"You made a reservation under my name?" I asked incredulously. Yes, there was no way this was escaping the media's attention now.

"It made it easier to secure the location I wanted," she responded. When we arrived at the location of her reservation, I understood. She had booked the VIP room, which not only was guaranteed complete privacy, but also had a spectacular view of Domino city at night.

"I'm impressed," I said, taking a seat. She smiled softly, a flicker of triumph still dancing in her eyes.

"I knew you would be," she replied. As we ordered drinks, I felt her steady gaze on me and was beginning to feel uncomfortably hot. I loosened my collar and turned to meet her gaze. I accept your challenge, I thought, leveling my gaze with hers.

"I presume this is private enough for you to discuss what you wanted to with me?" she asked, although she already knew the answer. Normally, I had seen her bound by her powers—following her visions without question, almost robotically. Tonight, she was enjoying her powers, and was using them to even toy with me. I felt a wry smile twist the corner of my lips.

"Glad to see that you're enjoying yourself as well, tonight," I mentioned, taking a sip of the whiskey I had ordered.

"Of course I enjoy my time with you," she said unflinchingly. I felt a blush creep up my face, and was cursing my physiology for being so damn obvious.

"So what it is that you like about me? My past self? Or my future self?" I asked.

"Everything—your past, your present, and your future. Your faults and your strengths…" she replied. I was definitely bright red now, if I wasn't already before. How could she be so direct? And the seriousness with which she answered me left me with no doubt that she was earnest with what she said.

And I felt a momentary guilt that I had asked her to meet with me only to get more information.

The guilt passed quickly as I felt the millennium key press against my skin. Mokuba. Muto. The attack by Marik. I had reason enough to be using her—and if she were already this attached to me, perhaps it would be easier than I thought.

"So, ask away," she remarked, after turning away from the Domino city skyline she had been gazing at with an expression I could not read. I cleared my throat and decided to get down to business.

"Your millennium item—what are its abilities?" I asked.

"The powers of my millennium item are two-fold. I can use it to see events through time, whether it be in the past or future, and can also use it to create a shield," she replied.

"When you say events through time, are you constrained to a certain time frame?" I asked.

"When I use my millennium item, I am flooding with images of potential futures, similar to the flood of memories you experience when you use the millennium key. Like you, I need to focus my attention in order to make sense of what I am seeing," she explained.

"I see. And your attention comes from?"

"Generally, I focus on people, since that is the easiest feeling to grasp. Anything pertaining to you is quite easy for me to focus on, allowing me to have a greater breath of time that I can see."

I frowned. This was not helping me at all. Basically her 'attachment' to me was also my weakness—it allowed her to probe into my past and future, allowing her to know me perhaps even better than I would know myself. I paused as the waiter walked in with our appetizers, realizing that I had no appetite whatsoever. I picked up a slice of bread and buttered it with no intention to eat at all.

"And this applies to your brother as well?" I asked.

"Yes and no. While he is the closest relative to me, and I can focus on him quite easily, he has also learned to block my probing, allowing me to see only into the immediate future for him," she replied.

"Convenient," I muttered. I felt another current of doubt. She could easily be saying that she was limited in her ability to see her brother's future in order to ease any suspicions I had of her protecting her brother while ripping my weaknesses apart…

"If you truly doubt me, I will allow you to see for yourself," she said, removing the millennium necklace.

She held it out to me, and I felt the millennium key pulsate uncomfortably, as if urging me to take the other millennium item.

I remembered her warning from earlier: 'If you are prepared to have the burden of being bound by the vision of the future as I am, then by all means…'

And I realized that I as much as I wanted the information about the future—especially Marik's future plans—I couldn't reach out for the millennium necklace. Was I afraid of learning my own future? How stupid and pathetic of me. I clenched my fist and looked away to the Domino skyline, trying to calm the sudden anger that had filled me thanks to my hesitation.

"It is human to fear knowledge of one's own future," Ishizu said softly, returning the millennium necklace to her bare neck.

"I don't have the luxury of being human," I retorted bitterly.

When I turned to face her, I was shocked to see that my statement had twisted her face into a combination of pain, pity and frustration. When she caught my questioning gaze, she settled back into her calm mien.

"No, I will be the one to protect your humanity," she said, fierce determination lighting up her eyes. And I knew then that as much as she wanted to be her brother's protector, she was every bit truly my protector—and that it was tearing her apart.

"Ishizu, you have no need to…" I began when she interrupted me.

"Since my family's tragedy, the first thing I've truly wanted to do—not just because it was something I had foreseen—was protect you and your happiness," she responded. I watched her speechless. I had no answer for her sudden confession.

"There's no need for you to suffer any further," I said, my hand finding hers, "Help me defeat Marik."


	39. Chapter 39

Ishizu opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Her hesitation was beyond my comprehension.

"What's holding you back—other than the fact that he is your brother?" I asked gently.

"Is that not reason enough?" she asked in reply.

"No. I remember you had asked me if Mokuba had harmed those close to me, what I would do. And more for his sake than anyone else's—I would destroy the person he had become," I responded, my eyes fixated on hers.

"I envy your strength," she said, pulling her hand away from mine. I felt the loss of her warm hand keenly.

"There is another reason for my hesitation," she said after a moment of silence.

"Which is?"

"There are others I wish to protect—and going against Marik directly would compromise their safety," she admitted.

"Hostages? Or are you referring to the Tomb Keeper Clan members of the Rare Hunters?" I asked.

"No. I am more selfish than that, Seto. I am referring to Marik's family members," she said.

"I thought you said your family—other than you and Marik—are dead…" I began before I realized her meaning.

"Marik's family…" I breathed.

Before Ishizu could respond, our main course was brought to the room. I willed the waiter to leave sooner, but he was determined to explain our dishes to the fullest extent, including the origin of the meat and vegetables in our respective orders. As my face twisted in frustration, the waiter wrapped up his explanation and hurried out of the room.

"You never told me that he was married!" I hissed. What else had she been hiding from me? What else had she been dealing with on her own as she always did? It was almost as if I was looking into a mirror of my own stubborn pride—and began to understand Pegasus' irritation with my behavior.

"I have been working to protect his wife these past three years…but now that his son will be born…" she began.

"Son?" I asked, my hand clenching around my knife.

"Yes. I foresaw the birth of my nephew around this time," she said softly.

"So your trip to Cairo…" I began.

"Yes. I need your help for this as well," she cut in.

"What makes you sure that his son doesn't have the same darkness that his father does? If I help you rescue him, I would only be bringing another threat…"

"He is only a baby, Seto—how can you judge him based upon his father?" she asked me. I thought to my stepfather and realized that many in the business world had connected my stepfather's ills to me—something I had despised and cringed inwardly for making the same mistake myself.

"However, Marik and you have a similar line of thought in this case," she said bitterly, "My brother views his son as a threat to him as well—a threat to his authority and power…and will move to kill him after he is born."

I stared at her in shock.

"And he refrained from killing his unborn child until now because?" I asked.

"If the child was a daughter, she would be invaluable to my brother. Only women in the Tomb Keeper Clan can truly harness the power of the millennium necklace," she explained.

"He's not satisfied with your reports?"

"I give him only enough information to keep him from harming his wife any further. But it is far from what he wants…" she replied evenly.

"Damn. How long have you been keeping this 'arrangement' with Marik to exchange information for his wife's protection?" I asked.

"Since three years ago," she replied.

And everything fell into place. The reason for her duality of roles between Marik and me. Her so-called devotion to protecting her brother—she was truly protecting her brother's unborn son. The future child…

"Very well," I said, "I will help you rescue this child in Cairo. However, it will only be the two of us. I refuse to let the others get involved with this."

"Of course. Thank you, Seto," she said softly.

"Promise me something," I said after a while of eating in silence.

"Yes?" she asked.

"That you won't deal with everything on your own all the time," I said, both to her and to myself.

"If I have your support…"

"You do," I said simply. There was no need for me to say anything further. I did not need to tell her that despite any warnings in my mind, I had decided to trust her—for better or for worse.

But she understood me regardless. I saw her lean in towards me, and I mirrored her actions, my hand pulling her chin gently towards me. I paused inches away from her lips, watching the lights from the night skyline play on her skin.

"You are beautiful," I breathed, and met her lips. In contrast to my prior kisses with her, this kiss was slow—soft and languid. I knew she was mine already—perhaps I had always known and just let my paranoia get in the way. I wanted to treasure her the way she had been treasuring everyone close to her; the way she had been treasuring me.

I pulled away reluctantly when I heard a knock on the door, and silently cursed the waiter for his inopportune timing. As he placed dessert on the table, I kept my eyes on Ishizu. She had an expression on her face that I had not seen before—embarrassment, filled with an almost childish glee.

"How long have you waited for this?" I asked, pretending to suddenly be very interested in my dessert, despite my dislike of sweets.

"Far too long," she responded, taking a bite of her chocolate cake.

"Your patience is truly amazing," I remarked, taking another sip of my drink before leaning in to kiss her again. As the alcohol seared down my throat, combining with the taste of the chocolate in her mouth, I felt at truly at peace.

When we finished dinner, instead of leading her back into my car, I took her hand lightly and walked with her in silence. Since she already knew where we were going, I had no need to say anything, and I found it comfortable to be walking with her no words getting in the way.

When we reached the row of sakura trees by the riverside, as expected, it was deserted. The safe haven. I took her into my arms, relishing in the way she seemed into melt into me.

"Let's do this again," I murmured into her hair. She nodded gently, her face finding the crook of my neck. I shivered as I felt her lips on my skin.

I groaned aloud as I heard my cell phone ring. Releasing her from my hand reluctantly, I muttered, "Whoever this is better have a good reason for calling me now."

Ishizu smiled, her eyes sparkling as I took the call.

"Kaiba boy! How is your date going?" I heard Pegasus say gleefully. If I didn't want to wring his neck earlier, I definitely wanted to now.

"I'm sure you'll find out in tomorrow's paper. Now if you'll excuse me…" I said, making no effort to mask my irritation.

"Oh, it seems like I've interrupted something," he said, chuckling, "Well, before you hang up, I wanted to ask when you wanted to meet for the Duel Monsters project."

"Just make an appointment with my secretary," I snapped. Pegasus' laughter increased in volume.

"I'll be sure not to interrupt your love-making any further," he said, "But I did want to apologize for earlier today."

"Same," I said.

"Is that an apology?" Pegasus asked with childish glee. I could imagine his gloating on the other end and felt irritation creeping up on me again.

"Yes. It is. Now I'll put you on my schedule for tomorrow, so…" I said quickly, wanting the conversation to end soon.

"Take good care of her," he said softly before hanging up.

'Take good care of her,' huh? I didn't need to hear that from him. I knew I was going to do more than just take good care of her.

I smiled as I realized how soft I was becoming. But as I saw Ishizu watching me with a smile on her face, I decided that it did not matter.

'That you won't deal with everything on your own all the time…'

As I heard my own words in my head, my smile broadened. I could let go of my pride enough for that. And the one who had shown me that was undoubtedly Ishizu…


	40. Chapter 40

As expected, my date with Ishizu had been plastered over the news. The paparazzi had tracked us from our meeting place by the Domino clock tower all the way to the restaurant. The Domino Daily even had a picture of us kissing gracing their front page. Back to reality, I thought bitterly. I wanted to give the newspapers a piece of my mind for having no limits in tracking my personal life, but I realized it was my fault as well for taking no precautions before meeting with her.

But part of me didn't care. There was nothing disrespectable about her, and if things were to continue as they were, I would be seen with her a lot more. The only issue would be if her connection to Marik were ever revealed. Which I would personally make sure that it never was.

I started from my musings as the phone rang. I picked it up, hoping that it wasn't my secretary reporting another failure in the scheduling system.

"Kaiba Corporations, Seto Kaiba speaking," I said in a monotone voice.

"No longer the most eligible bachelor in Domino City," Ishizu said, reading the headline of the Domino Daily that was sprawled on my desk.

"That picture doesn't do you justice," I said, leaning back in my chair.

"The media is more interested in you, obviously," she remarked.

"I hope this isn't going to cause you any problems…" I said.

"No. If anything, this is beneficial. My brother hates publicity—it impedes progress on his activities with the Rare Hunters, after all—so it works to my advantage to be in the spotlight," she said.

"Well, I can arrange it so that you can be in the spotlight even more," I said. I frowned as I heard a knock on the door.

"You'll have to excuse me, I have my next meeting," I said, hanging up.

My secretary opened the door to let Pegasus in. His business mien melted away as my secretary left the room.

"Looks like you had a very good time yesterday," he said, gesturing to the paper on my desk. I folded it away and took out the files on the Duel Monsters project.

"How is it that the media never pays this much attention to your love affairs?" I asked in an exasperated tone. I had a sinking suspicion Pegasus wasn't going to let this go anytime in the near future.

"It's old news, Kaiba boy. I'm always with some woman or another—same as my father—so there's nothing exciting about it for the media to latch onto. You, on the other hand, have been notorious for being single," Pegasus replied.

I groaned.

"Well, did you get any sleep last night?" Pegasus teased.

"What…?" I retorted, turning red. Pegasus chuckled.

I cleared my throat. It was time to get to business.

"Our initial partnership was formed with the impression that my hologram technology combined with your idea of the Duel Monsters card game could create a visually appealing card game between those who purchased both the cards and the duel disks. However," I said, pushing a sketch of my blueprints towards Pegasus, "I think we can work on a much larger scale."

I watched as Pegasus perused my sketch with interest.

"You're proposing to use this project to develop a chain of amusement parks and duel stadiums," he said.

"My hologram technology has been focused around portability and small scale in the past, but I am aware that Industrial Illusions' technology has trended towards the opposite," I explained.

Pegasus nodded in understanding.

"You're suggesting that Industrial Illusions takes over the large scale holographic technology while you handle the duel disk production," he said.

"Yes. Here is my blueprint for the duel disk," I said, handing him another one of my sketches.

"Impressive. Compact, easy design for ease of use and storage, with simple enough technology that it can be mass produced for cheap cost," Pegasus commented in approval.

"I'm glad it meets your standards. I've also been developing infrastructure for product testing; I currently have a team of programmers expanding the game simulator I created. The simulator should be up and running by the end of the next week," I explained.

"You want the card designs finished by next week?" Pegasus asked incredulously.

"I was under the impression that we were taking a leave of absence in a month. I hope to have the cards and the duel disks scheduled for release by that time," I said smoothly.

"Are you crazy? There's no way to bring out high quality products out that quickly…the advertising, the product testing…" Pegasus said, frowning.

"I've already met with your father to discuss advertising, and it is scheduled to begin by next week, which will give us three weeks before the release date. I have already created several prototypes of the duel disk—which several teams are testing for QC—and they should be ready for mass production in two weeks, which gives us a one week buffer in case of any setbacks," I said, settling my chin onto my hands.

"When did you get all this done? I thought between getting attacked at Kaiba Corporations last week and having Mokuba kidnapped over the weekend…" Pegasus asked.

"I had been developing the duel disk technology on my own for another project; I merely adjusted it for the card game concept. As for the simulator, I wrote the program this weekend, and the large scale development of amusement parks and duel stadiums was an idea that occurred to me yesterday," I explained.

Pegasus whistled in amazement.

"If you weren't my business partner, I'd be worried that you'd push me out of business," Pegasus remarked, "Well, I'll have the rest of the card designs to you no later than two weeks from now. Don't forget, we have midterms coming up too, you know."

"That doesn't concern me much," I remarked.

I watched Pegasus shake his head in disbelief.

"Well, if you're in charge of testing the card game, I'm assuming that places Industrial Illusions in charge of production?" he asked.

"Yes. Based upon your ability to design the graphics of the cards, your artistic expertise would create the most creative cards—including the ink, color and layout for mass production," I said.

"One week for production…you are insane," Pegasus said, chuckling, "But you always manage to produce amazing results, so I'm not too worried."

"We'll scale up as time goes, so the initial release won't be as large," I explained, presenting an estimate of the numbers and target shops I had generated.

"This won't give us much time to prepare for Cairo," Pegasus remarked.

"I intend to be completely prepared before we go. Also, check up with Muto regarding the card designs as well. He'll know best when it comes to the ancient Egyptian game," I said, typing notes onto my laptop.

"Don't work yourself too hard," Pegasus said. I looked up from my typing.

"Don't take it too easy," I countered, feeling a smile lift the corners of my lips.

Pegasus relaxed for the first time since the meeting. I suspected he had been on edge since the last time I had seen him had ended so poorly, and my ridiculously condensed timeline had probably stressed him as well.

Pegasus grinned and stood up to leave.

"Keep me updated about your love life," he said nonchalantly, waving as he left my office.

"Idiot," I muttered, smiling broadly as I returned to my work.


	41. Chapter 41

Although I was up to my neck in work for the Duel Monsters project, I had decided to attend school at least to take the midterms. Having a high school diploma would be useful just in case. An insurance of sorts.

When I walked into class, I avoided Kisara's gaze. The last time I had seen her had been awkward to say the least.

I had been visiting Muto in the hospital before his surgery for his burns. Kisara was there, faithfully visiting Muto as she had promised me. Although it was none of my business, I hoped that this might lead to something good for Muto.

"Kisara," I said, nodding in greeting as I entered Muto's hospital room.

Kisara gave me a smile, but I could tell it lacked its usual enthusiasm. And I didn't need to guess twice why. As if to confirm my suspicions, the Domino Daily was crumpled up beside her. I felt a twinge of guilt as I noticed her red-rimmed eyes.

"Could you give us a moment alone?" Muto asked Kisara. She nodded and left the room. After moment's silence, I felt Muto's blazing eyes on me.

"Seems like your date with Ishizu was quite successful," he said in a calm voice.

"Yes. I found out that…" I began and then paused when I realized his meaning.

"That was my fault for not hushing the media," I said, glancing towards the newspaper.

"Did you care about what Kisara would think about this?" he said, maintaining his calm voice, but narrowing his eyes.

I felt a sudden burst of anger. What business was it of Muto's what I did with my own time? I came to see how he was doing, and it was apparent that he was doing more than okay if he had the time to worry about other people's personal business.

"What is it to you? Wouldn't this make it easier for you to get closer to Kisara?" I hissed before I could stop myself.

Muto's eyes widened. He placed a hand over his face and then began to laugh dryly.

"The millennium key. Of course," he said, removing his hand from his face. I didn't know what to make of his expression.

"And here I had done everything to make sure no one found out," he muttered.

"Sorry. I should not have intruded on your privacy," I said.

Muto was silent for a moment before he turned to me with a small smile.

"This is exactly the type of thing that will help Marik tear us apart, isn't it?" he said and the looked down to the millennium puzzle.

As he gazed down at the puzzle, I remembered one of the memories I had seen in Muto's mind.

"Kisara—she's part of our past lives, isn't she?" I asked.

"Yes, she is," Muto said softly. Something about his expression stopped me from asking any more questions.

"The surgery should go fine," I said after another uncomfortable silence.

"Thank you," Muto said.

As I made what I hoped did not look like a hasty exit, I ran into Kisara waiting in the hallway.

"He's going to be alright," she said, giving me a soft smile.

"Yeah. Thank you for being by his side," I said.

She nodded, and then opened her mouth to speak. Reconsidering, she closed her mouth and shook her head.

"I guess I no longer have a chance," she said softly.

This time I was the one who opened my mouth only to have no words come out. Swallowing, I gave a curt nod.

"I wish you luck," she said, in the same selfless manner as always.

"Thanks," I managed, and started in surprise as she extended her hand out to me.

"Friends?" she asked. I took her hand and gave it a firm shake. But before I let go, I could feel the slight tremble that ran through her. From rejection—or fear?

"You don't need to come to Cairo," I said.

"I'm coming regardless, Kaiba. You don't need to protect me all the time," she said.

"Whether you like it or not, I will protect you," I said.

Kisara's eyes widened in surprise at my comment, and I realized my mistake. Clearing my throat, I turned to leave, hoping to hide my embarrassment.

"Thank you, Kaiba. I hope to become stronger to become your protector as well," she said as I walked away.

I paused, but did not dare to turn around. I did not know what to say in reply. Tell her to stay away? That I didn't need her help or protection?

That she was fine the way she was? I walked away as if I had not heard her at all…

Whether from embarrassment or to create some distance, I decided not to interact with Kisara as much for the time being. I took a seat behind Pegasus and was pleased to see him sketching away another duel monsters card while studying frantically on the side.

"Busy?" I said, unable to keep from annoying him just a little.

"Shut it, Kaiba boy," he said, as his left hand flipping through pages of his history textbook while his right clicked away at the computer.

I was going to continue my teasing—payback for all the times he had teased me—when I saw Muto walk in through the doorway. The surgery had done him wonders; except for a few scars, he looked the same as he had before the incident. His arm was still in a sling, but thankfully it was his left arm, leaving his right available for taking the exam. He began hobbling over with his crutch as Kisara stood up and offered her help.

He shook his head and made his way to his seat on his own. I guess he and I are similar in that way at least. Too proud and independent.

"Good to see you in class," I commented.

"I won't miss midterms for anything," he said, taking out his textbook and mirroring Pegasus' last minute studying.

"Yami," I said. He turned to face me in surprise. It was rare that I used his first name, but I wanted to stress the importance of what I was going to say.

"Thank you for saving Mokuba," I said.

"No need to thank me. If not for your association with me, he would never have been in that situation in the first place," he replied, his deep violet eyes meeting mine.

Guilt. I had been absorbed in my own guilt that I had not stopped to consider that Muto would be suffering in the same way. That more than anyone, he had felt that it was his responsibility to handle everything.

"Don't be stupid. Marik is as much my enemy as he is yours," I retorted. Muto gave a small smile.

"Spoken like a true magi," he remarked, returning to his studying.

A magi…had I been truly acting as Muto's magi until now? All of my actions had done nothing to protect him; I would have failed protecting him from Marik's mind control without Pegasus' help.

Kisara's words rang in my mind: 'I hope to become stronger to become your protector…'

I would become stronger to become the magi that could protect Muto—and take down Marik once and for all…


	42. Chapter 42

As predicted, my midterms went without a hitch, although Pegasus looked like he was going to be sick afterwards.

"Didn't you say your girlfriend was tutoring you?" I asked, smug. Teasing him was quickly becoming a very good way for me to relieve stress—and to avoid any teasing from him in return.

"Ah, I wonder who gave me thousands of card designs to work on at the last minute!" Pegasus retorted, running a hand over his face, "My father is going to kill me…"

"Well, we'll just take the make up exams together," Muto said calmly, hobbling beside us.

"I thought your grades were fine," I said, cocking an eyebrow towards Muto.

"Well, being passed out in the hospital didn't help any," he said, chuckling, "As reparation, I'm requesting tutoring from you, Kaiba."

"Any way I can join this study party?" Pegasus asked.

I ran a hand over my face. I didn't have time for this; the duel monsters project was just on schedule, for now, but knowing business, there would be a glitch soon enough. But after watching Pegasus desperate expression, I caved in.

"Fine. We'll hold a study session at my place tonight," I said.

"You're the best!" Pegasus said, slinging his arm around me. I didn't even bother to push him away this time—I had no need to. Moments later, our homeroom teacher came running after us, and Pegasus let go of me, looking sheepish.

"How did it go?" she asked him.

"Um…" Pegasus responded, placing a hand behind his head, "Probably could've gone better…"

"A lot better," Muto corrected. Pegasus sighed. Our homeroom teacher crossed her arms.

"You did follow the study plan I gave you, right?" she asked sternly. Pegasus cringed.

"You see…I had other work as well, so…" Pegasus said, his eyes shifting uncomfortably.

"You know you can't afford another failed set of exams. I'll get in touch with you after I grade the exams. And trust me, your make up exams won't be easy," she said, turning away.

Pegasus looked like he was going to melt on the spot.

"I'm assuming she's the dominant one in your relationship?" Muto joked. Pegasus groaned.

"Muto, please kill me now. If I don't survive my father, then Cecilia will finish me off anyway…" Pegasus moaned.

I placed a hand over my mouth to hide my smile. Seeing the heir of Industrial Illusions sweating over a simple high school midterm was hilarious to say the least. And to be honest, after all that had happened recently, worrying about a midterm was refreshing.

"I'm so glad that they're over!" a cheerful voice floated past me. I saw Kisara from the corner of my eye walking with a group of her friends, bubbly as always.

"How'd it go for you guys?" she cried out, waving to the three of us.

"Fine," I muttered, while the other two said in synch, "Abysmal."

"Aw, if you need any help, let me know!" she said, starting to walk away with her friends.

"Any way you can bring your cute friends with you for this study session?" Pegasus cried out, causing giggles to pass through her gaggle of friends.

"We'll see!" she said, winking. Was it just me or had she suddenly become flirtier? I turned to see Pegasus' drooling expression and the slight blush forming on Muto's face.

"Ms. Cecilia," I said suddenly. Pegasus froze and slowly started to turn around, only to realize that our homeroom teacher was nowhere in sight.

"Kaiba!" he said, rushing towards me, grabbing my neck in a vice-grip hold with his arm.

Muto laughed as he watched our antics, and I felt myself relaxing as well. Although he kept to himself—he had primarily transferred to this school to meet with me, after all—Muto had many concerned students and teachers ask him how he was doing when he returned.

As I watched him laugh while trying to free myself from Pegasus' hold, my mind flashed to the hallucination I had had in the shower. Muto—the pharaoh—giving me the millennium rod. What had he called me again? High Priest Seth? Muto met my gaze, and his laughter faded, giving way to a serious expression.

"Something the matter?" he asked me.

I shook my head. Knowing about some past life of mine wouldn't do anything to help defeat Marik. I needed to do whatever was necessary now. Although it had only been a few days, maybe it was time to meet with Ishizu again…

Muto chuckled.

"What?" I asked, pulling myself out of my reverie.

"You had the most love struck look on your face I've ever seen," he said, continuing to chuckle. I coughed uncomfortably. This was bad, if I was completely losing my ability to maintain a poker face.

"How are the preparations for Cairo going?" I asked to change the topic.

"I've contacted my father, and he's given the okay for us to stay at his place for the entire winter holidays. He's actually quite happy I'm coming to visit him," he mused aloud, placing a hand on his chin.

"I see. Does he have any more information about the Rare Hunters?" I asked Muto. Muto nodded.

"He said some of the information is dangerous to discuss through phone, so he said he'd tell us more once we met with him in person," Muto said solemnly. I appreciated Mr. Muto's caution.

"Mode of transportation?" I asked.

"Provided by yours truly, once again," Pegasus said, giving a bow.

"Then I'll prepare the security measures," I said, "Oh, and Ishizu is coming along…"

"That is very useful," Muto mused, "She probably knows where the Rare Hunters' hideout is…or at least where she will go to get there…"

"Why is she coming along?" Pegasus asked, suddenly serious.

"She didn't say," I lied.

"You're not as suspicious of her as before," Pegasus commented, watching my expression carefully, "Is she that good of a kisser?"

"That has nothing to do with this. I'm sure she has her reasons to come along. I will take the necessary measures, just in case," I said.

"Glad to see you're not as paranoid as you used to be," Pegasus said.

I had no answer for him. Truth be told, it was far more relaxing to not have to raise a defense against everyone, to have a clear enemy—and clear allies—for once. Part of me warned me that it would not last, that I needed to plan my next move. But I was tired, and needed rest.

As if my weariness was visible on my face, Muto said, "Let's take a break."

"What are you suggesting?" Pegasus asked, grinning.

"Don't you two need to study?" I asked.

"Ah, don't ruin my fun. Relaxation is good to jump start the mind, right Yami?" Pegasus asked, elbowing Muto gently in the chest.

"My physician said a hot spring would be good for my injuries. What do you say to a trip to a hot spring this weekend?" Muto asked.

Only one week since Mokuba's kidnapping, and we were already making plans to go on a vacation.

"Sure, why not?" I said, making both Muto's and Pegasus' eyes widen in surprise.

"What?" I asked.

"Mr. work-a-holic actually wants to go on a vacation?" Pegasus teased.

"I'll be bringing my laptop with me, and I expect you'll continue working on the card designs as well," I said.

"I should've known…" Pegasus groaned.

"As long as you don't bring your laptop to the hot spring, it's a deal," Muto said, smiling.

I nodded. Besides, if a trip to the hot springs could help heal his injuries, what was there to lose?

"Maybe we can take a peek at the girls…" Pegasus began. He paused and I saw him shiver suddenly.

He turned slowly and met our homeroom teacher's blazing eyes.

"What's this about taking a peek at the girls?" she demanded. I swore I could see flames surrounding her. I watched in amusement, as Pegasus seemed to shrink in size.

Suddenly, she began to cough, sending spasms throughout her body. Pegasus grew immediately serious, grabbing her shoulders.

"Cecilia," he said in a panicked voice over and over again, shaking her. Her coughing did not cease, and I became worried that it was no ordinary cough. As if to confirm my worries, her cough became wetter, wheezing in between coughs from lack of air. Pegasus blanched as she coughed blood onto his hands.

Several students had surrounded us in the hallway in concern.

"I'll call for an ambulance," Muto said, pulling out his cell phone, "Kaiba, let the faculty know about her condition."

I nodded and ran off to the faculty room, catching a glimpse of Pegasus' fear-stricken eyes as he held a no-longer-breathing Cecilia in his arms. And I realized that this was not new to him—Cecilia's sudden attack—and narrowed my eyes.

"Ms. Cecilia collapsed in the hallway and we've called an ambulance for her," I announced as I entered the faculty room. My statement mobilized the faculty in the room. I felt a hand on my shoulder—the principal's—as he walked into the room.

"Thank you, Kaiba. We'll take it from here," he said solemnly, acting in a manner that confirmed my suspicions. Whatever her condition was, it was well known, among the faculty at least. And I hoped for Pegasus' sake that it was nothing major…


	43. Chapter 43

We were back in the hospital. I was truly beginning to hate the smell of bleach and sickness rising from the hospital beds. It had gotten to the point that some of the nurses and physicians nodded at Muto and me in recognition. Pegasus was sitting on the bench with his head in his hands.

Muto hobbled over to him and took a seat beside him.

"Hey," he said softly, placing his free hand on Pegasus' shoulder.

"It's never been this bad before…" Pegasus said softly.

"She's had attacks like this before?" he asked him. I watched Pegasus nod slightly.

"She was born with a weak heart, so she's grown up with dizziness or fatigue spells, and frequent coughing fits…but this is the first time I know that she's coughed up blood," Pegasus said.

"Are you friends of the patient in room number three? A Ms. Cecilia…" a nurse came and asked us. Pegasus nodded, getting to his feet. I had never seen him look so serious—or drained.

His concern for her was evident in the way he held onto her and refused to leave her side even as they boarded her onto the ambulance. Muto and I tagged along; we were apprehensive that he might break from his worry. Caution thrown to the winds, Pegasus held her hand throughout the ambulance ride.

Now he followed the nurse with the authority of one very close to her. The physician turned to us and nodded as we came in. I noted with mild irritation that it was the same physician who had ran all the tests on me following the panic attack that had landed me in the hospital for the first time.

"We're currently stabilizing her condition. Her heart valves have weakened enough to allow blood flow to the lungs—the source of the blood you reported that she coughed up," he explained.

"What's the chance of this occurring again?" Pegasus asked in the most business-like manner I had ever heard him.

"Seventy to eighty percent if she is placed under stress. Her valves are not severely atrophied enough to warrant surgery or transplant. However, it's important that she is not placed under any stress that increases her blood pressure for any reason," he replied.

Pegasus nodded.

"So, would relaxing her have the opposite effect?" he asked.

"Yes. Any methods to lower her blood pressure would alleviate the symptoms," he explained.

"Guess we'll just take her along with us to the hot springs," he said after leaving the room, trying to smile. He looked more shaken up than he had after the attack in Cairo.

True enough, the following weekend, Muto, Pegasus—leading a still weak Cecilia—Mokuba and I headed out to the hot springs. A trip that was for good reason concealed from the faculty of Domino High School.

As I was driving us to the hot springs, I could not help but watch the careful way Pegasus tucked blankets around her sleeping form. He wasn't fooling around with Cecilia like he usually was with other girls. He was serious; something I often forgot he was fully capable of.

Rather than the relaxing vacation Muto had proposed it to be, it was a solemn affair. Pegasus was wrapped up with watching over Cecilia, leaving her in the care of the waitresses only for baths, while anytime I entered the hot spring with Muto, I could only wince at the sight of the scars and burns that ran across his body. The wounds that I was responsible for.

"You and Pegasus should stay in Japan," I said, "I can handle going to Cairo with Ishizu."

Which was not far from the truth. Without Muto and Pegasus, I would have nothing holding me back from rescuing Marik's child with Ishizu.

"We're coming," Muto said firmly, in a tone that I could not argue with.

I leaned back, soaking in the hot water while breathing in the cool mountain air. I was supposed to feel relaxed—it was a hot spring after all. Then why was I so on edge?

As if on cue, I heard a female scream. I raced out of the water, taking only the brief time to tie a towel around my waist before I ran into the main hallway. As I heard another scream, I continuing running in that direction, glad that I never took off my millennium key. When I reached the end of the hallway, I stopped in shock.

Cecilia's hands were wrapped around another woman's neck, squeezing as her lips were twisted in maniacal glee. The crazed look in her eyes was unmistakable.

That bastard, I thought furiously, bringing my millennium key to her forehead. Before I could enter her mind, she spun towards me, dropping her unconscious victim to the floor.

"Think you can defeat me alone with that pathetic magic toy of yours?" she said, laughing.

My hand began to shake, doubt filling my system. As my mind flashed with the sight of Muto's mutilated body, guilt coursed through me. Cecilia—who had absolutely nothing to do with my fight with Marik—was involved because I was unprepared. And I was hesitating to aid her!

I thrust the key forward and twisted it to the right, feeling my consciousness move into her mind with unbelievable speed. I could feel Marik pulling me into her mind, bringing me closer to him.

"Recovered already?" I growled as I raced past Cecilia's memories towards Marik.

"That little scratch? I had been expecting you could do much better," he taunted.

I whipped the key into its sword form and rushed forward. The time for preparations was over, I realized as I saw Marik's condescending smile. It was the time to act. I slashed forward, continuing my volley of attacks. Marik dodged my attacks easily, with a fluid grace that only increased my frustration.

"I came to deliver you a message, Seto Kaiba. Ishizu Ishtar is under my control now," he said, his laughter echoing in the chambers of Cecilia's mind as he removed his control over her. I remained suspended inside of her memories, unable to act, unable to think as fear for Ishizu's safety filled my every thought...


	44. Chapter 44

Pegasus found me with Cecilia's unconscious body in my arms. I was frozen with fear, unable to move or respond even as he shook me repeatedly, asking me what had happened.

I felt a slap across my face and started.

"Kaiba!" Muto said, his hand as red as my cheek felt.

"Marik…control…Ishizu…" I managed, cursing my incoherence. Even during Mokuba's kidnapping I had had more control over myself than I had now.

I felt Pegasus take Cecilia from me, his eyes filled with worry.

"Yami, I'm going to get a doctor for Cecilia. Take care of Kaiba boy for me?" he said. I watched Muto nod with detachment, as if the events occurring around me were happening to someone else.

"Seto," he said softly, helping me to my feet. As he grabbed my arm to support me up, I snapped into attention. Muto—who was barely able to stand on his own—was going to help me up? Ridiculous.

"I can stand on my own," I said sharply. This was no time to be in a daze. I needed to act—alone.

"Muto, take care of Mokuba for me," I said, heading back to the baths to grab my cell phone.

"Where are you going?" he asked, following me, a slight limp in his walk.

"To Cairo. Ishizu is in trouble, and I'm getting her back," I said firmly.

"Do you have a plan?" Muto asked.

I hesitated. Did I have a plan? I would have one soon enough, that was for sure. Rushing in without a plan would be something that idiot Pegasus would do, not me. I would be prepared…I would…

"No," I finally said, "But I'm not waiting around any longer…"

"I understand that you're worried about her, but going without a plan is suicide," Muto said. I turned to him.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" I said, my eyes narrowing.

"Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corporations," he muttered, and then meeting my gaze said, "And my fool of a friend."

I opened my mouth, but found that I had no answer for him.

"Even though physically, I may not be much help to you now, don't underestimate the power of my millennium puzzle. And besides," he said, a sly smile coming to his face, "A magi shouldn't be looking down on his pharaoh."

I felt a wry smile cross my face as well.

"Fine. So does this mean we're leaving early for Cairo, my pharaoh?" I asked mockingly.

"Yes. Although with Cecilia's current condition, Max would be better staying in Japan with her," Muto mused.

"That would be convenient for me as well. Someone to keep an eye on the Duel Monsters project," I thought aloud, grabbing my cell phone.

"Always thinking of business…" Muto said.

Ignoring him, I dialed the head of my security.

"Roland, listen carefully. I need you to mobilize my security force…" I began, outlining the plans I had been developing for our trip several weeks later.

"Understood, sir. Would you like me to accompany you?" he asked.

"Yes. Prepare the private jet and meet me at 2200 hours tonight," I commanded.

"Yes, sir. As you wish," he responded. I cut the call.

"I suppose I should call Kisara?" Muto asked.

"I would prefer that she didn't come along," I responded, pulling my clothes back on.

"She'd kill you if you left her behind," Muto said, already opening his cell phone to give her a call.

"If I come out of Cairo alive…" I mused. Muto raised an eyebrow at my pessimism.

"Is the arrogant CEO of Kaiba Corporations having second doubts?" he teased. I frowned. I was having second doubts. Too many recently—and I was feeling my confidence slip far too many times for my liking. Where was the confidence I had built up under my stepfather's reign?

Muto noticed my growing unease and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It's human to have doubts. Even a pharaoh has them, you know," he said.

"I can't afford to have any," I said. He chuckled at my stubbornness.

"Well, I better call Kisara," he said, clicking speed dial on his cell phone.

As he walked away to make the phone call, I frowned in confusion. What did Marik mean when he said he had Ishizu under his control? It seemed unlikely that he was controlling her with the millennium rod; the power of her millennium necklace and the power of her mind were too strong for her to be taken that easily. Had he blackmailed her, then?

I gritted my teeth and pressed speed dial for her number on my phone. After all, there was a chance he was bluffing just to get under my skin. Yes, that was it, I decided, pressing the phone against my ear.

One ring. Two rings. Where was she? My anxiety from earlier was amplifying—almost as if Muto's presence had calmed me enough to forget my shock—and I felt my throat constrict. Damn it, I thought, as the phone continued to ring—breathe, breathe!

"Seto?" I heard Ishizu's voice on the other end. I sighed in relief.

"Ishizu…where are you now?" I asked her, trying to appear as calm as possible on the surface.

"I'm sorry, Seto," she replied and cut the call. I froze. What the hell did that mean? I felt a surge of anger. Vague as always…always doing things on her own. Why had I believed anything would change?

No…I would make it change. I was tired of waiting around for change to happen on its own. I would save her and the son of that bastard—whatever it took…


	45. Chapter 45

"What?" Pegasus said angrily as Muto explained the plan to him.

"We thought it was best for you to stay with Cecilia until she recovers," Muto explained calmly.

I didn't sugarcoat my words like Muto did. I had no patience for that.

"Marik just controlled her mind because she's weak now. You have a responsibility to protect her, dammit. And I expect you to bring Duel Monsters to market in my absence," I said sharply.

Pegasus narrowed his eyes, but turned away. He had no room to argue. I was done with compromising or listening to others.

"Kaiba has an important role for you here as well," Muto said before Pegasus could respond to me.

"Who put him in charge?" Pegasus muttered.

"Since it's _my_ girlfriend Marik has captive, I have more than enough right to take control of this situation," I hissed.

Pegasus' eyes widened in surprise and then he began laughing.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Hearing the word girlfriend coming from you…is hilarious…" he wheezed while laughing. I felt myself turn red.

"Alright, I'll do what I can from here," he said, before I could say anything, "Take care, Kaiba boy."

"Yeah," I managed, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat.

"Kisara's driving up here now," Muto said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had formed. I nodded.

"I'm counting on you," I said, turning back to look at Pegasus one last time before heading out. He winked at me in his usual ridiculous manner.

As I walked towards the jet that Roland had flown in as I requested, I almost groaned when I saw Kisara running towards us, waving.

"You have no idea how many traffic rules I broke to get here on time," she said. She did look like she had rushed to get here; she had no luggage with her and she was still wearing her school uniform.

"Good to see that you could make it," Muto said. I merely nodded in greeting and walked towards the plane.

Mokuba had already rushed to meet with Roland, with whom he had become close friends in the short while I had employed him. He was my temporary tutor for Mokuba for the time being, and based upon how things were going, I was planning on keeping him in that position. I had been sure to use the millennium key on him to peruse his background and his intentions.

Roland had worked under my stepfather before he had adopted us, but had changed jobs before Mokuba and I had ever stepped into the Kaiba mansion, due to his disagreement with my stepfather on the direction Kaiba Corporations should take.

I had selected to hire him as my personal assistant because any records I found of him—both business and personal—reported excellent reviews, rare coming from my stepfather at least. The fact that he differed in opinion about the focus Kaiba Corporations appealed to me—I wanted to move away from my stepfather's focus on weaponry, after all—and after probing his mind, I was pleased to find that he was efficient in both thought and execution.

"Directly to Cairo, sir?" he said, more of a confirmation than a question.

"Yes. Muto, your father's address is?" I asked, turning to him. He handed a slip of paper to Roland, who thanked him respectively.

"Seto, is it okay if I stay with Roland in the cockpit?" Mokuba asked.

"As long as you don't bother him," I said, after Roland nodded in confirmation. Mokuba grinned and followed after Roland. I felt a twinge of jealousy, but ignored it. I had more important things to deal with now.

"So, what's the plan?" Kisara asked me.

"I'm going to bring Marik to me," I said, crossing my arms, "I've fallen for too many of his traps already. This time, I will be the one to trap him."

Muto raised an eyebrow.

"And you'll do this how?" he asked, "Last I checked, we're walking into his trap. Ishizu is the bait he's using, you are aware."

"I'm well aware. Ishizu has been his bait all along. But there's something else you need to know," I said, facing Muto.

"And that is?" he asked.

"Marik has a son," I said simply. Muto's eye widened.

"How long have you known this?" he asked.

"A few days—since I met with Ishizu for our…date," I replied.

"Where is Ishizu now?" Kisara asked.

"I don't know for sure. I contacted her, however…" I looked away uneasily.

"We'll find her," Kisara said, "There's a good chance that she went alone to Marik."

"She said she was coming with me to Cairo to rescue the baby," I said with gritted teeth, "Either her ability to see into the future is failing or she lied to me."

The second was more probable, knowing her personality.

"Can you track the location of her cell phone?" Muto asked.

"I had Roland set up the Kaiba Corporation's satellite system to track her down, but due to interference, we haven't been able to figure out her exact location. We do know that it's around the Cairo area. But beyond that…" I explained.

"Here," Kisara said, handing me a notebook, "I did some research about the Rare Hunters after chatting with Muto about the details of the situation. It's not much—probably mostly stuff you know—but I hope it helps."

I opened up the notebook and was surprised to find page after page of painstakingly taken notes—in the handwriting I had admired.

"You know, typing would've been easier," Muto said, receiving a glare from Kisara.

"It's easy for technology to fail. I have the same information backed away on my external hard drive, but this is strictly for travel purposes," she replied crisply.

As I flipped through the pages, detailing all the cases that the Rare Hunters had been involved with—stolen artifacts from museums, looting from digs, kidnappings of experts of Egyptian history and mythology, supposed human trafficking (I raised an eyebrow at that one) and the most famous attempt at looting the Pharaoh Atem's tomb—I was surprised at the depth of information she had been able to gather in such a short time.

"How did you find all this?" I asked, feeling stupid that I had not taken the time to do a thorough search about the Rare Hunters as she had.

"Newspaper articles, magazines…the library," she said simply, "I just asked the librarian for help on current event articles on mafia active around the world—under the guise of a research project, of course."

And I started laughing. The school library had had some of the answers I was looking for all along, while I had taken a trip to Cairo and taken over a company in pursuit of this information. Needless to say, I felt just a little angry with myself for my stupidity.

Kisara watched me in confusion as I continued to laugh.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Just fine," I said, controlling myself, "Thank you for the information."

Muto took the notebook next and flipped through, frowning.

"What we really need to know is where their hideout is," Muto said.

"I'm sure the Cairo police would love to know that, too," Kisara remarked.

"There's no need. Like I said, I'm going to bring them to me," I said.

"And how are you going to do that?" Kisara asked.

"Of all the operations the Rare Hunters have done, the one they've failed is looting the Pharaoh Atem's tomb, correct?" I said, facing Muto.

"That would be because the remaining members of the Tomb Keeper Clan are protecting my past life's tomb and the millennium items held within it," Muto replied.

"They would do anything to get their hands on the millennium items, wouldn't they?" I asked.

"What are you planning?" Muto asked, as realization dawned on him. Kisara watched as Muto's face turned pale in horror.

"You're not…" he began.

"That's right. I'm going to be the first to successfully steal the millennium items," I replied.


	46. Chapter 46

"Are you crazy?" Muto asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I suppose I am," I answered evenly, "And that's why I'm going to make this work."

"This is worse than having no plan," Muto said, sighing.

"Is this what you were preparing, even if we were to go to Cairo at the time we originally planned?" Kisara asked me.

"Yes. As I had mentioned to Muto and Pegasus before, going into the Rare Hunters' hideout would be like going into a hornet's nest…" I began, when Muto interrupted me.

"And going against the Tomb Keeper Clan isn't?" Muto asked, exasperatedly. I stifled a sigh as I realized it would take quite a bit of effort to get Muto to agree to this plan.

"The Tomb Keeper Clan lost a significant part of its strength when Marik left. Of the two, the Tomb Keeper Clan is the better target," I answered.

"Why not just have Muto say that he's the reincarnation of the pharaoh and is here to reclaim his millennium items?" Kisara asked.

"Pharaoh Atem sealed the dark powers of the shadow games into the millennium items, with the intention of never using all of them himself. He would be breaking his own vow if he requested them now," Muto explained.

"Well, what about saying that Kaiba is your magi?" Kisara asked.

Muto looked at me quickly before turning to Kisara.

"My magi took the same oath as I did. Added to that is the fact that it is Kaiba…" Muto answered.

"What about me?" I asked.

"I believe you and Pegasus saw the tablet detailing your past life dueling against me," Muto said.

"Yes. And your point is?" I asked.

"The Tomb Keeper Clan has not forgiven your betrayal to Pharaoh Atem, even if I have," Muto said softly, "They may not hesitate to give Pegasus a millennium item—and I have a suspicion that he obtained his millennium eye in that way—but to you…"

"Well, there you have it," I said to Kisara, "But beyond that, stealing the item would attract the Rare Hunters to me even more by demonstrating how weak the Tomb Keeper Clan truly is…"

"Whose side are you on, Kaiba?" Muto teased. After what he had just told me about my past life betraying him, I felt the joke was in bad humor.

"My own," I replied. I would destroy the Tomb Keeper Clan along with the Rare Hunters if that were what it took to rescue Ishizu and the boy and to take down Marik.

"Not a very reassuring answer," Kisara remarked, "But, whatever side you're on, I'm with you."

I took my laptop briefcase and opened it, handing a pair of headphones to Muto and Kisara.

"Hold onto these for communication. Even if technology might fail," I said, looking at Kisara, "it's quite handy when it does work. We won't be together most of the time."

"So, you're planning on going in alone," Muto said, an edge entering his voice.

"Yes and no," I replied, handing them a blueprint of my plans.

As they read through the details, I felt unease creep up on me once again. I had originally planned this as a way to bait Marik into coming after me, so I could take him down in my own terms. This plan did not incorporate rescuing hostages, or the absence of Pegasus' expertise. I placed two fingers on the bridge of my nose and sighed.

"I'm assuming modifications will be in effect," Muto said, watching my anxiety.

"Yes. I'm afraid I'll be splitting what I had originally planned Pegasus to do between the two of you," I said.

"We can handle it!" Kisara said.

"I'll be leaving Mokuba with you. He has enough basic programming knowledge from watching me to help you out if you get stuck," I said.

Kisara nodded.

"So, now we wait?" Muto asked.

"No," I responded, "In order to pull this off, I need to know more about the past—your past in particular."

Muto nodded, moving his bangs aside with his hands and closing his eyes. I took a brief look at his pale forehead, before pulling the millennium key out from under my clothes.

"Just one thing," Muto said, as I raised the key.

"And what's that?" I asked.

"You're not allowed to tell anyone else about what you see," Muto said.

"Idiot. As if I would anyway," I said, hearing Kisara giggle.

"Kisara, if anything happens, use this speaker to call Roland," I said. She nodded, holding onto the walkie-talkie I had handed her with an iron grip.

I placed the millennium key lightly onto Muto's forehead and felt my entire arm shake. Doubt began to creep into me once more; doubt of my abilities to use the millennium key, doubt about whether I could protect Muto if anything happened inside of his mind, doubt of whether I was ready to handle what I would find in his memories.

"Are you going to do it or not?" Muto demanded. I felt my pride burn with the implied insult in his tone. He knew that I would not suffer a blow to my ego by hesitating any further.

I twisted the key to the right and plunged into his mind.


	47. Chapter 47

I was suspended in a sea of his memories, trying to decide which one to start with. I ignored the memories of our school days, or of him as a child. I needed to go farther back than that. After swimming around in vain, I closed my eyes.

"Pharaoh Atem," I muttered, thinking half-foolishly that I could summon the memories I wanted to see through will alone. When I opened my eyes, I found that I was glowing and that I was surrounded by a multitude of memories that were not Muto's.

I reached forward and fell into one of them, and found myself in a garden beside a large stone fountain.

"Priest Seth," I heard a female's voice call out. Instead of responding to her, I hid behind a series of bushes. Of course, in Muto's—Atem's—memories, I was not Seth; I was Atem. Preparing myself with that information, I was not surprised to see the man who could have been my double—my past life—walk towards the woman shrouded by the veil.

"Kisara," he breathed, pulling the veil up, revealing Kisara's face—except that this woman had bright blue eyes and silver-white hair. As Seth's hand caressed her face ever so slightly, I felt a surge of anger and jealousy. 'How could he betray me?' I—Atem—thought as I watched in horror as Seth leaned forward to kiss her.

Fists clenched, I moved away from the romantic scene in the garden, glaring at the full moon. But I was the pharaoh, after all. Whatever I desired could become mine. I had seen the potential the two of them possessed magically, and saved them from the poverty they would have suffered otherwise. They owed me their lives, their allegiance. I would keep Seth as my right hand man—and marry Kisara.

As these thoughts ran through the pharaoh, I blanched. Who was this man? The Muto I knew never had this kind of darkness running through him. Was it possible that my previous life was just as different from my present me as this man was from Muto?

My vision shifted, and I found myself in another memory. I was seated on the throne, looking at a tear-streaked Kisara.

"We will wed before the moon begins to wane once more. I will personally see to your preparations," I commanded.

"My pharaoh…I cannot accept…such an honor…" she said between sobs. She had gall, which I could appreciate. But my word was law, therefore…

"Kisara!" Seth cried, running towards me, armed with the millennium rod. He stood protectively in front of Kisara. I laughed.

"Do you think you can defeat me with that? I am the son of god!" I cried, getting to my feet.

"My pharaoh. I humbly request the opportunity to duel you. If I win, you will release Kisara from this marriage," he said, his eyes firm yet pleading. I felt my eyes widen, and my mind wandered once more.

I was younger—I could tell by the way my body felt smaller and my surroundings seemed much larger. I moved my hands towards me and confirmed my age. The millennium puzzle was not around my neck; I felt freer than I had in the previous memory.

"Atem!" a woman's voice called out to me. I turned to face a woman who could have been Ishizu's double. I felt my chest tighten with the knowledge that I had no idea when I would see her in the present…

"Mother," I said, walking towards her. Around her neck was the millennium necklace, and she wore the same proud expression I had fallen in love with. She was the mother of the prince and the wife of the pharaoh, the greatest honor for a woman of her time. The source of her pride indeed. But her pride was tinged with sorrow; her eyes were screaming in agony, even if the rest of her appeared to be calm.

"It is time for your initiation ceremony," she said. I nodded, following silently into a dark room. The chanters were assembled in the room. I felt a shudder as I realized what was to come. As if to confirm my suspicions, a man walked towards me with a hot iron rod. The tool used to engrave the scriptures on my body.

I howled in pain as the first stroke was made, wanting to vomit at the smell of my own burning flesh. Again and again, until I was dizzy with pain. I could feel the tears down my cheeks and my mouth open, unable to scream. After what seemed like hours, the ceremony was over—and I felt numb.

"You did well, my son," Ishizu said, pulling me into a rare hug. And I broke down completely in her arms.

Another memory flooding my mind. This time, I was older. A teenager, the millennium puzzle around my neck. I was riding on a chariot through the city, when a pair of kids around my age caught my attention.

"Stop!" I commanded. My servants heeded my cry immediately. They helped me down and I walked towards the two, who were chained to a post.

"Who are you?" I asked the two. The boy glared at me. I could've laughed at his expression. It was the same fierce expression I made whenever I protected Mokuba at the orphanage. Except instead of Mokuba, this double of me had moved to protect the girl with bright blue eyes and unnaturally pale skin beside me.

"Pharaoh," the girl managed, moving her head slightly to give a bow even though she seemed drained of all energy.

They drew my—Atem's—interest. They were no older than me, and it had been lonely in the palace. Besides, the magical energy the girl seemed to contain was reason enough to bring her to the palace.

"Want to come with me?" I asked. The boy caught my gaze, his eyes full of suspicion.

"I won't hurt you. You'll have lots of food, clothes and servants. What do you say?" I asked.

The boy did not move, but I saw the girl nod slowly. Relieved—though I would have brought them back with me regardless of their reply—I ordered the servants to help them into the chariot. I never forgot the way the girl looked at me with gratitude, and eyes filled with hope. And I wanted to keep those eyes—that hope that she embodied.

I fell into the memory of the duel. How despite all warnings, I faced my right hand man—and dearest friend—in a shadow duel that would threaten to destroy my entire kingdom. For the sake of a single woman—the woman who had saved me from falling completely into my own darkness, who had alleviated the burden of the millennium puzzle…the woman whom I would love for lifetimes to come…

I gasped as I left Muto's mind. As I came to, I realized how carefully Kisara had been watching the two us—and found myself completely unable to meet her gaze after all that I had seen. It explained everything—Muto's selflessness in this life, his unusually strong attachment to both Kisara and me, the way he stayed aloof and alone and the guilt that he constantly carried within him.

I had not anticipated the depth of Muto's guilt—of how much he carried with him from his past life. And I was beginning to have doubts about the role I had given him for the plans.

"Can you...?" I began, and Muto promptly answered as if he could read my mind, "Yes. There is nothing to worry about."

"I see," I said, unable to discuss anything further as long as Kisara was there.

"Well, now we wait to get to Cairo," said Muto, settling into his seat for a well-deserved nap.

"Unless of course, you wish to probe my mind further," he said, cracking open a single eye.

The offer was tempting, but I knew I had seen enough for today. I needed to digest everything I had seen; I needed to know Muto better in order for my plan to work.

"Don't force it," Muto said after a moment of silence, "You can't piece together a lifetime of experiences and understand them all in a single plane ride."

"Fair enough," I said, putting the millennium key away. I closed my eyes more to avoid seeing Kisara rather than to actually get some rest. The woman who had torn the pharaoh and his most trusted advisor apart…


	48. Chapter 48

"Are you in position?" I muttered into my headphone.

"Yes," Muto answered, "If I didn't know better, I'd think that you're trying to kill me."

"Pegasus will be sending you the blueprints of their hideout. Remember, you need to do this convincingly," I reminded him.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" he asked, echoing my statement from earlier.

I suppressed the urge to chuckle. Before I could retort in reply, Kisara's irritated voice came through the earpiece.

"If you two have time to banter, get moving!" she said sharply. She had been on edge ever since we had touched down at Cairo. She was performing her role perfectly—almost too perfectly for her. My eyes narrowed. Just in case, I had Pegasus deal with part of the communication between Muto and me from Japan. He was my insurance in case Marik decided to target Kisara.

I strode down the alleyway, confident that there was no one around. I had Pegasus monitor my location using the Kaiba Corporation's satellite system and Kisara monitor Muto.

"Looking good, Kaiba boy," I heard Pegasus say.

"Muto, how's it going on your end?" I heard Pegasus ask.

"He's doing fine. Just in a location he can't speak right now," Kisara confirmed. I felt uneasy that I had separated Muto and Kisara's communication line from mine and Pegasus' line. It had been a safety measure against hacking, but it would also serve as a hindrance in case one line went down for whatever reason.

"Roland. Open communication between all lines," I said.

"As you wish," he replied. I heard a sudden flood of noise—of crowds of people—fill my ear.

"Nice marketplace, isn't it?" Kisara was saying.

"Fantastic," Muto muttered. I could imagine how suffocated he must have been feeling at that moment, weaving his way between throngs of people. Good, he was on schedule.

"Where is it, Pegasus?" I asked, looking around at the dead end of the alleyway.

"To the right—it's series of bricks of a slightly different shade of red...shit! Kaiba, behind you!" Pegasus cried out.

But I was ready before him. My bullets hit their target without me having to turn around. Out of a detached curiosity, I turned to see who my victims were and was not surprised to see them wearing the purple hoods of the Rare Hunters.

"Good. They know I'm here," I said to Pegasus.

"Don't lead them in too soon," he warned.

"That's what Muto's for," I replied.

"I appreciate being used as bait," Muto said in reply. Pegasus chuckled.

I pressed the chunk of rust-red bricks with my millennium key. The bricks glowed in response, shifting aside to form a tunnel.

"High tech," I muttered, sarcastically.

It had been surprisingly easy to find the Tomb Keeper Clan's base of operations; they had no reason to conceal their location, after all. They were the protectors of Egypt's artifacts, and many of them were rich, influential individuals in politics, business or archeology. Only the ones closest to the clan's leader were difficult to locate or track. The most secret circle—the one that Ishizu and her brother were a part of—consisted the ones who lived in the shadows completely.

On a whim, I had Roland install surveillance systems to follow those involved with Egyptian artifacts. After he and his security team had tracked thousands of individuals, they had collected the information that an unusually large number of them came to this location. But before my security could catch anything, they vanished, only to reappear in the same place hours later. Muto suggested using magic, and I had Pegasus study the video feeds enough to realize what served as the gateway inward.

"You're off the radar," Pegasus said, confirming my thoughts.

"Good. Glad to see I didn't lose communication," I replied in a low voice, continuing down the dimly lit hallway.

"I've spotted one of them," Muto said in a low breath.

"Follow them. I have you clear on radar," Kisara said.

"That seemed too easy," Pegasus remarked.

"Do you know how hard it was to move through that crowd?" Muto muttered, his breathing becoming ragged as he ran.

I spun as I heard a wiz behind me. Arrows? I thought, pulling out the guns from my vest. I closed my eyes and heard rather than saw my attackers. Two hanging from the ceiling, another three behind me and four in front me. Not too bad, I thought, firing. I made sure to hit only the limbs to hinder their movement. I knew Ishizu would never forgive me if I killed one of the Tomb Keeper Clan members.

I was surprised that there were no magical defenses, until I realized how much my millennium key was vibrating underneath my clothes. So there were plenty, I realized. I was immune to them for the time being thanks to my millennium item.

"You alright there?" Pegasus asked, hearing the gunshots.

"Just a little clean up, is all," I replied, rushing forward and adding kicks and punches to the bullet wounds. I didn't have too much time. Leaving the wounded men in my wake, I continued forward, firing mercilessly as I ran forward.

I heard the sound of a scuffle through my earpiece.

"Robes obtained. I repeat that this is a crazy idea," Muto remarked.

"Just put on the robes quickly. There's another three of them coming in from around the corner," Kisara warned.

"Great, I didn't need to look for them," Muto muttered.

I continued running, clicking on my watch to display the blueprints of the underground tunnel system, live feeds thanks to my security.

"Seems like you got in easy," Pegasus remarking, typing away. I noticed additional notes to my blueprint spring up, and I made a note to thank Pegasus later.

"Too easy. I made it past their magical barriers thanks to the millennium key, however…" I began. I suddenly felt a shock run through my system, and I froze as my body refused to listen to me.

"Mistress Ishizu did warn us that you would be a challenge," a voice said, as I struggled to move my limbs, "But I did not imagine you would be this audacious."

I tried to move my lips to speak, but found myself unable to move even a single muscle.

"Kaiba?" Pegasus' worried voice cried into my ear.

My eyes widened as the one who spoke came into the light. It was the man who was with Solomon Muto when I had come to Cairo the first time—the one with tattoos on half of his face. His bare head glistened in the dim light, mirroring the glow of his eyes. He walked forward and placed a hand on my head. His skin was scalding to the touch, and I cried out in agony as it felt like my brains were on fire.

"Kaiba!" Pegasus, Muto and Kisara cried out simultaneously. Before I could say anything in reply to them, I felt my vision blur from the pain and fade out into darkness…


	49. Chapter 49

Thank you to all of you who have been following this story! I've loved writing this story so far (and there's a lot more to go!). Unfortunately, I will be going on vacation starting tomorrow for three weeks (without internet access), so this will be the last update until September. I am hoping to write the old fashioned way (with pen and paper) during my vacation, so hopefully there will be a lot of chapter updates when I return! Enjoy!

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I groaned and woke to the smell of incense. Why was I having déjà vu? It seemed Cairo equated with me falling unconscious. I watched curiously as my fingers twitched, and I slowly regained sensation in my limbs.

It was silent…too silent. I realized that my earpiece was gone—not too surprising, I supposed—and my head felt like it was going to split into two from a massive migraine. What had that man done to me? I felt like the inside of my head had been on fire. I tried to focus. Why was I here? Anytime I tried to form a coherent thought, my mind scattered in several directions: focusing on the smell of the incense, the quality of the light, my headache, or the strange carvings on the walls…

I placed two fingers on the bridge of my nose, willing myself to focus. Something was wrong, truly wrong. The more I tried to focus on a single thought, the more my headache increased. Trying to ignore the pain, I focused on figuring out why I was where I was. Why had I felt like I was missing an earpiece? Where was I exactly?

As I processed slowly and painstakingly that I was somewhere underground, captured—indicated by the ropes that bound my hands and feet—and cut off from those who could help me, I felt my headache flare up to a level it had never been before.

I tried to cry out, but no sound would come out of my mouth. Fear began to pulsate throughout my system. I felt as helpless as those times I was trapped in that windowless, dark room. My breathing hitched, and I began to tremble.

Dammit, I thought angrily, I'm better than this! I felt my limbs snap into movement as fierce anger at my own ineptitude filled my system. The anger was subsiding my headache as well, and I found it easier to think. I was in the Tomb Keeper Clan's underground passage, kept prisoner by that man who had burned the inside of my skull with his hand. My eyes narrowed as I picked up an unusual smell. The incense. That was probably the source of my previously unresponsive limbs and my befuddled mind.

"Strength of will, determination and stubbornness. You are a formidable one for sure," a voice said.

I spun to face the speaker and found myself face to face with the man. My eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" I demanded, getting to my feet. I would not be defeated so easily. I just needed to make sure that he would not touch me.

"My name is Odion," he said in a low voice, "I apologize for treating you the way I did, but you would not stop to listen otherwise."

"Then don't get in my way," I retorted, searching for my millennium item. Its cold metal on my chest was gone. Noticing my uneasiness, Odion nodded.

"I have taken custody of your millennium item for now," Odion said.

"What do you want?" I hissed. This was going to make me very behind schedule for the plan. And I did not appreciate setbacks.

"I am the temporary leader of the Tomb Keeper Clan until either of the Ishtar siblings return to take the position," he explained. I crossed my arms. I didn't have time for his stories. Were all the Tomb Keeper Clan members this chatty?

I paused. Wait…either of the Ishtar siblings?

"Ishizu can become the leader of the Tomb Keeper Clan?" I asked in surprise. I had expected a group like theirs to either disqualify women for the position, or be firm in only picking the eldest child of the former clan leader.

"Of course. When Marik left us, Ishizu was the next in line," he responded, "But for reasons that are incomprehensible to me, she declined the position."

"The fact that Marik was responsible for killing the former leader of the Tomb Keeper Clan does not disqualify him?" I asked.

"No. The fact that he could surpass his father in power makes him a more ideal successor," Odion replied.

I felt like vomiting in disgust. No wonder that Ishizu had left this behind. I could not imagine her condoning this kind of thought.

"So you have nothing against the Rare Hunters?" I asked, my eyes blazing.

"They threaten the balance of the world by using the millennium items for their evil deeds. Therefore, they are not our ally," he responded, "And the purpose of your visit places you in the same category."

"I am in Cairo to rescue Ishizu," I said firmly, "That and nothing more."

"She does not need saving. She has decided to infiltrate the Rare Hunters for the sake of the Tomb Keeper Clan on her own," Odion said.

"Bullshit," I said, making him flinch. As my sudden flare of anger subsided, I wondered whether Odion knew about Marik's son. If he didn't, it would be worth my while to remain silent on the matter.

"Think what you will, Seto Kaiba. I will not allow you to disrupt her mission," Odion said.

"Try and stop me," I hissed, rushing forward. I swung my arm, and was surprised when my fist did not connect. I had not even seen him move. I felt his arm connect with my stomach with alarming speed, and doubled over to the ground. Undaunted, I rose to my feet, only to be kicked back down.

"Damn," I muttered, spitting out blood. I closed my eyes, which were useless since his movements were beyond my ability to detect visually. I heard the soft friction between his feet and the floor—and sprang into action.

As my fist connected with his torso, I smiled in victory. His sharp eyes, however, did not waver. I moved back quickly as I sensed his leg move up to kick me. As he shifted to the right, I caught a glimpse of his movement style and realized why I had been unable to follow his movements. He almost glided from place to place, adjusting his movements to different speeds so that my eyes could not compensate. But I could hear him well enough—the soft sliding of his bare feet with the stone floor.

When I heard him directly behind me, I spun, my outstretched leg causing him to topple over. He recovered quickly, but not quickly enough to handle me. I clamped my hand around his throat, adding pressure with time. He struggled, and brought his hand to my face. As his unusually hot skin scalded my face, I continued to hold onto his throat.

How foolish for him to believe that he could take me down, I thought, a laugh escaping from my lips. Just a little more, and he would cease being an obstacle to me. A little more pressure. I felt like breaking his windpipe—and then looked into his eyes. Filled with fear, reflecting a maniacal monster—my twisted face—in his dark irises.

My hands shook, and I felt my grip on him loosen as the tremors began to fill my body. He fell to the ground, breathing hard, while I felt unable to breathe. Shaking, I fell to my knees. What the hell was I becoming? Had I finally become the monster that Gozaburo had trained me to become?

As I watched my enemy's pathetic struggle to regain his breathing, I rose, my eyes darkening. So be it. I would become a monster if that were what it took to become the protector I wished to become…


	50. Chapter 50

I'm back from vacation! It's refreshing to have internet again :) Thanks for all the reviews and as usual, I love hearing any and all comments! ^_^

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As I raised my head to stare at the carvings on the walls, I felt a wave of dizziness. My vision blurred from the effort I had put in to fight off Odion while countering the effects of the incense. Giving my pathetic foe a last glance, I stepped out of the room. He extended a hand to me as a final plea, but I was beyond that.

"Have a taste of your own medicine," I said in a low voice, shifting the door, locking it into place.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my fury. Those who were as good as Ishizu's family cared so little for her. Send her alone to the Rare Hunters? I wanted to tear the Tomb Keeper Clan apart for their cruelty. I tried to imagine Ishizu growing up in this cold environment where she was only used as a tool. No different from the way Gozaburo had treated me. And a thought occurred to me; no wonder Marik wanted to escape from all this…

I heard footsteps behind me and willed myself to move faster, my lungs burning from the strain. I felt sick—sick from exertion and sick from the thought of the man I had left to die in the chamber. How long until he died from lung paralysis?

I found another chamber and stumbled onto it, finding refuge behind a large cupboard. My heart hammering in my chest, I hid. I strained to hear the voices coming towards my hidden location.

"He defeated Odion? The monster," one of them said.

"We must kill him. We received information from Ishizu that he is here to steal the millennium items," a female voice said firmly.

I felt my blood freeze. Ishizu had warned the Tomb Keeper Clan of my plans? My worry and panic faded as I realized that I had fallen into one of her traps again. Vulnerable as I was now, I was easy prey for both the Tomb Keeper Clan and the Rare Hunters. Were her words during our date an elaborate lie to get me here?

'I'm sorry…' I heard her voice echoed in my mind. Had she apologized to me for betraying me once more?

She had chosen these cold-hearted bastards over me. I felt the insult of her action keenly. I rose—anger fueling my movements—and knocked out the two who were searching for me in the chamber. My eyes widened as I saw one of them garbed in the Rare Hunters' characteristic purple hood.

'What the hell is going on?' I thought both in anger and confusion.

I felt a vibration in the cupboard and opened it. I found my millennium key glowing madly, echoing my own state of mind. A bitter smile stretched across my face, as I hung the key back around my neck. As I felt its metal against my skin, I relaxed—and then realized in horror that I was becoming dependent on the millennium item.

I shook my head and decided that I would deal with that later. Now, I needed answers. What the hell was Ishizu trying to do? And why were the Rare Hunters walking freely with the Tomb Keeper Clan members?

I placed the key on the unconscious woman's forehead and twisted, falling into the particular memory I had been searching for.

"My lady," I said, falling to my knees.

"I came to warn you. The pharaoh's magi will turn against us," Ishizu said in a cold voice.

"We will take the necessary measures," I responded—and felt a chill spread through my features as I met Ishizu's gaze. Her eyes were blank—the same Cecilia's had been after the maniacal glee had faded. The eyes of the controlled.

As I pulled out of the woman's memories, questions began to flood my mind. True, it was Odion that had taken control of the Tomb Keeper Clan, but the true power lay with Ishizu following Marik's betrayal. Which meant that Marik's control over her had given him control over the Tomb Keeper Clan. Which she would never have allowed unless…

My anger subsided as I realized what Ishizu was trying to do—and what she wished of me as well. The Tomb Keeper Clan had become weaker than I previously believed; it had become corrupt following the loss of its leadership, evidenced by the Rare Hunter walking side-by-side with the clan member.

But Ishizu wanted to save her clan—her family—just as she wanted to save her brother. Something she would sacrifice herself to do. I wondered what the Tomb Keeper Clan had been like before it had deteriorated. Had it been a warm, loving family for her?

I decided that it did not matter. If Ishizu felt it was precious enough to her to risk her freedom to protect it, then it was important to me as well. 'Damn that woman,' I thought, 'she has me wrapped around her finger—no matter what she does to me…'

"I told you to stop doing everything on your own, didn't I?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair in an effort to relax my previous tension. She had half-lied to me, after all. She claimed that everything she had done was for Marik's wife and child's sake alone. I should have known she was greedier than that, that proud and stubborn woman.

After a moment's pause, I returned to the chamber where I had locked up Odion, and sighed in relief when I found him still breathing. I pulled his barely moving form out of the chamber. As I watched over him as he slowly regained consciousness, another thought occurred to me.

Ishizu knew that I had cared little for either the Tomb Keeper Clan or the Rare Hunters—and that I would not have come to Cairo for any reason other than to take Marik down. Until she had revealed the existence of Marik's child, I had planned to defeat Marik by taking down the Rare Hunters—which would've inevitably led me to destroy the Tomb Keeper Clan. By using the Tomb Keeper Clan to weaken me, Ishizu had prevented that fate for her clan—and for me. By destroying the clan that was precious to her, I would have undoubtedly wrapped myself in further guilt.

'That stupid woman,' I thought, 'going to such lengths to protect me.'

It was time for me to return the favor…


	51. Chapter 51

I extended a hand to Odion. He watched me warily, and then accepted my hand.

"Mistress Ishizu told me in secret to trust you," he confided, "But my duties to the clan come first."

"I understand. Listen, I will return the millennium items once this is all over. Can you lead me to them?" I asked.

"I only do this because of Ishizu's request. Expect nothing further from me," he replied, indicating to me to follow him.

We passed several clan members, who bowed to Odion in respect and watched me in surprise. They made no move to attack me; Odion's fiery hand was dangerously close to me, after all. We continued to walk in silence as Odion broke barrier after barrier. As I followed him, I wondered what he had been doing as Solomon Muto's doctor. Serving as a watch over Muto? And what had it been like to take over a broken clan?

"You are curious about me," he stated.

"Yes," I replied, surprised at his perception.

"I was adopted into the clan, as a protector for the successor—the eldest son, Marik. My duty was clear—to watch over and prepare him to become the next clan leader," he explained.

"Do you feel that you failed?" I asked.

"Yes and no. Marik has become the powerful leader he was destined to become, only one that threatens the balance of this world. His betrayal has not been forgotten—that alone prevents him from regaining his birthright," Odion said in monotone voice.

My suspicions were correct. The only way Marik could currently take control of the Tomb Keeper Clan was through Ishizu. Why didn't she just confront her brother and the Rare Hunters head on—with the power of the Tomb Keeper Clan behind her? Was she still hoping to…

"Do you think that there's a chance to bring him back?" I asked.

"No," Odion replied firmly, "I do no think. I believe. Without his leadership, this clan will die…it is already dying."

"Ishizu told me that it was only after he received the millennium rod that his darkness grew. What was he like before?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"He was a gentle child. Unwilling to hurt anyone for any reason. Willing to take the pain for others. He was a compassionate and curious child, who cared more for his younger sister than anyone else in the clan. He treated me as if I was his own blood brother—something none of the rest of the clan did—but…" Odion paused, "he was not one to live in the shadows. That much we all could tell. So his father worked to extinguish the light inside of him to prepare him for a life in the shadows…"

I frowned. He sounded like Mokuba—the innocent, the light in my life. Too sweet and caring…and easy to break. If my stepfather had focused on him rather than me, then it was possible he might've taken a similar path to Marik…No, there was no way I was comparing that demon to my brother. The one who had left Muto torn up and left for dead…

"It appears my account of him does not resonate with you," Odion said after a long moment of silence. I gave him a curt nod, silencing him on that topic for the moment.

"Why are there Rare Hunters among the clan? You told me that you were enemies," I remarked finally.

"It is not that simple. There are those who sympathize with Marik's desire to protect the artifacts—from the eyes of the unworthy—but do not support his less honorable deeds," Odion said, "And we are all family—that much is undeniable. We cannot fight against our brethren."

Which explained Ishizu's reluctance to strike against Marik. She would lose the support of the Tomb Keeper Clan the instant she even planned for such an event. And I was quite sure that she did not want to fight against her brother, either.

'Then how to propose to continue to protect the pharaoh's tomb?" I demanded.

I was beginning to understand Ishizu's inability to let go of her brother; the conflict between her brother and me was forcing her to choose between family and—and whatever I was to her. Born into such a tight-knit community, it was difficult for her to be free, to break her ties. They were an essential part of her.

"That is why the pharaoh has been reborn after these 5,000 years," Odion replied.

Convenient. Just have a single person come and clean up the mess. But it was what Muto was working towards now, and I would help him with that massive task.

"The pharaoh is meeting the Rare Hunters as we speak," I mentioned. Odion stopped in his tracks and turned to me.

"That is suicide!" he cried out.

"As is sending Ishizu alone to them," I said evenly. He watched me with steely eyes for what seemed like minutes before he turned away and continued forward. We finally reached a golden set of double doors. As I gazed at the symbols carved into the door, I felt both the millennium key and my heart pulsate with anticipation.

"Only you may enter," Odion said, indicating to a keyhole. I placed the millennium key into the keyhole and felt a burst of energy leave my system. As I sagged from the sudden drain, I heard Odion say, "Tribute for passage."

I just hoped that I hadn't just lost years from my life and entered the room. And found myself staring into an empty chamber.

"Did you believe that I would just hand over the millennium items to you? To the one who betrayed the pharaoh in the past? My duty is clear—to protect the pharaoh's tomb. And you are the greatest threat to its safety. Forgive me, but I must seal you away," Odion said, slamming the doors—leaving me in complete darkness.


	52. Chapter 52

Damn! I thought, slamming my fists against the door. This had been a trap all along. What had I been expecting anyway? I continued slamming on the golden doors, panic filling my system. It was dark, and I was trapped—with no knowledge of when I would get out. My throat constricted as I felt fear flood my system.

I shivered, sinking to the floor. The strength I had given up to enter this room plus the strength I had used up against Odion left me weak—both physically and mentally. As the darkness closed in around me, I trembled uncontrollably.

The image of my stepfather loomed in my mind once more, and I felt the security and pride that I had reconstructed these past few years melt away. I could hear his voice in my head, yelling at me for my imperfections and tearing away at my confidence.

I felt the burn of anger and indigment on my skin but could say nothing to my dead stepfather. He would continue to haunt me, and I had no way to strike back at him—to defeat him…

A single drop of water landed on my neck, triggering memories I had wished never to remember. Submerged in a tub of water, a hand pressed down on my head, preventing me from breathing. My lungs burned from the lack of new air, as my pulse quickened in fear. Would I die here? The pressure on my head was unrelenting, and against my will, my mouth opened. Swallowing water, I felt my head spin in fatigue. I couldn't hold on for much longer…

I inhaled with sharp breaths as my windpipe began to close in memory of my stepfather's punishment. The water—the loss of the ability to breathe—followed by the dark room, where I laid for hours without food or water. As I was now…

The bile rose in my throat, and I heaved, emptying my stomach of the last meal I had eaten. Trembling from the effort, I leaned against the wall. As the cool stonewall pressed against my back, I felt the old scars there throb in response to the cold.

I wrapped my hands around me. My mind flashed to the time I had taken longer than usual to answer the homework questions I had been given. It was a small difference—no more than a few minutes at best—but my stepfather thought otherwise. He had said that a few minutes would spell doom for a business venture—and I received punishment to remind me of this fact.

Placed in the dark room, he poured ice-cold water over me again and again, until I could no longer feel anything from the chill. Shivering, I received the first round of whips. He was ruthless in his punishment; he began slow and then decreased the interval of time between whips, while increasing the power. I squirmed, remembering the way my back would bleed and burn while the rest of my body shivered with cold sweat. The sound of my stepfather's laughter ringing in my ears…

Laughter. The maniacal laugh of my stepfather's melded with Marik's, causing the hairs on my neck to rise in fear. Fear of an enemy I could not strike. Fear of his power that could defeat me. Fear of my own capabilities if I held nothing back—

'Why did you kill my brother?' I heard Ishizu's voice in my head, over and over, her tear-choked voice, increasing in anger until it sounded like an accusation rather than a question in my ears. As guilt seared through me, I felt another sensation rise to the surface—indignation.

How dare she place me in such a situation? How dare she demand the impossible from me? How could she allow a future where I would suffer in my past memories to transpire? The witch who wrapped me around her finger—I wanted to crush her with my own bare hands. I wanted to have her bound to me…

I smashed through the images of my stepfather and Marik as anger coursed through me. The millennium key answered to my fury, unparalleled to anything I had ever felt before. I had been stripped bare—and reborn. Which was precisely what I would do to both the Tomb Keeper Clan and the Rare Hunters.

Without reserve, I released my power, filling the room with light emitting from the millennium key. I transferred some of my life energy into the key, and was pleased to see it respond in kind. The doors burst open, and I walked free—determined to be the plague to destroy everything in my way.


	53. Chapter 53

Sorry for the delay in updating! My fall semester has started, which means less time to write-or even think about writing fics. I'll try to get chapters written up whenever I can. This particular chapter was harder to write than others, mainly because I was worried whether Seto Kaiba seems ooc. Let me know what you think! :)

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It was easier to move. I had felt like I was drowning, and now resurfaced. And it felt good. I watched in detachment at the tendrils of liquid light swirling around me. Had I paused to think, I would definitely come to the conclusion that I had lost my mind. But I was beyond that. Ishizu's blank eyes flashed in my mind, and my millennium item vibrated more strongly. Damn that woman.

I heard a scream and turned—meeting the gaze of a woman in the formal garb of the Tomb Keeper Clan. I felt a sick satisfaction fill my system as her face twisted in horror and fear as I walked towards her. The betrayer? Did they dare punish me for something I had supposedly done in my past life? I would not tolerate such treatment.

I lifted a hand in front of me and pointed at her. Her screams died away as tendrils of light encircled her throat. It was so easy, so effortless. Just a little more, and I would be able to crush her windpipe completely.

But it was too easy. Bored, I withdrew. She fell to the ground, breathing heavily. I leaned in towards her and hissed, "Tell your kin that I am here for one purpose only: to destroy the Tomb Keeper Clan."

"Please…have...mercy," she gasped. After writhing in my past in that dark room, it felt satisfying to crush another's spirit. Mercy? She wanted mercy? My eyes narrowed. Mercy was not something I had been given. Not by Gozaburo, not by the corporate world, not by Marik and certainly not by Ishizu. It was only right that I give no mercy to others, after all.

To obtain one's goals using any method necessary. That was the truth that Gozaburo had taught me. The truth that I had forgotten these past several months in my false sense of security. Surrounded by those who claimed to have an interest in me. Muto and Pegasus' faces flashed in my mind, and I wondered what had caused me to trust them. Was it because they were there during my moments of weakness? But it had been foolish for me to depend on them. That had led me here, after all. A failed plan, alone…

I swerved to the right as I felt a presence rush towards me. I caught from the corner of my eye the fist I had just dodged. A fist belonging to a man with a tattoo on half of his face.

"You bastard!" I cried, spinning to kick him in the stomach. He doubled back, and I smirked confidently. He was still weak from our previous fight. And with my newfound power, he had no chance against me. I looked down at him, my eyes burning with anger.

"Is that all you've got?" I asked him, beginning to chuckle despite myself. Odion rose to his feet, and came at me once again. I dodged him with further ease. Was there no one stronger here? I wanted a challenge—

I suddenly felt a pair of hands grab me from behind. Odion brought his deadly hand closer to my forehead.

"How foolish. Do you think the same thing will work on me twice?" I asked, emitting a sudden burst of my energy, piercing through his hand. He howled and retreated backwards. I broke myself free of my captor and spun around—to find myself face to face with Shadi.

I extended the tendrils of light from my hand into spikes and fired them forward. A look of indifference passed through Shadi's eyes, which caused me to pause, the spikes inches away from his neck.

"You don't care if you live or die?" I asked.

"I have not been alive for many years, so I no longer know the difference," he replied evenly.

"A ghost?" I asked, a wry smile on my face.

"For my lady Ishizu's sake, yes," he replied.

"What is Ishizu to you?" I asked while simultaneously sending a series of spikes in Odion's direction to immobilize him.

"As Odion was assigned to be Master Marik's protector, I was assigned to be Mistress Ishizu's protector," he replied, still unmoved by the death glare I was giving him.

"A job which you have failed," I said, withdrawing the spikes.

"You want her back, do you not?" Shadi asked me. I hesitated. What did I want now? The anger I had pent up was ebbing away, and I was beginning to feel fatigued once more. I was tired by how little I knew. About Ishizu, and about the Tomb Keeper Clan in general. But I knew one thing for sure. I needed to take Marik down—and I needed to get rid of the baggage I had picked up along the way to do so.

"No," I replied, "I only want to defeat Marik."

"How do you propose to do that?" Shadi asked. I raised an eyebrow. He seemed neither surprised at my declaration nor skeptical of my resolve. In fact, he seemed to be suggesting something to me.

"With the Tomb Keeper Clan, of course," I said immediately without thinking, gauging his expression. I felt the urge to sway, but stood firm, unwilling to show any weakness in front of them.

"What makes you believe that we will follow you?" Odion said sharply. I twirled a new series of tendrils around my arm.

"I am stronger than both of you. It would be in your best interests to submit to me," I said matter-of-factly, crossing my arms, "Or I can have the pleasure of destroying the clan. The choice is yours."

"A strong leader is something this clan has been seeking. I do not oppose your desire for the Tomb Keeper Clan. I believe the trust Mistress Ishizu places in you will not go to vain. However, the rules of our clan do not allow outsiders to even enter the clan, let alone seek leadership," Shadi explained.

"Mistress Ishizu's trust is misplaced. He would become the ruin of us all if he were to become the clan leader. You would be wise to treat him with caution," Odion said in a low voice.

"Your love for Marik blinds you, Odion. I trust my lady's intuition. She will not be pleased when she hears of your treatment of the pharaoh's magi," Shadi countered.

I watched their silent exchange, feeling the tension build in the corridor where we stood. I needed to think of something fast. Although I had displayed my abilities to back my claim that I could destroy the clan, the effort had left me drained—and I was close to passing out. To make matters worse, more clan members were making their way towards us. Escape was not an option for me now.

"What if I said that Ishizu and I were married?" I asked. Shadi and Odion froze and turned to me in disbelief.

"She would never…" Odion began, when Shadi interjected.

"A legal marriage would make you one of our own. One of the clan," Shadi said.

"How do you know he isn't lying? He is too young," Odion countered. My eyes narrowed. Trust Odion to hit the nail on the head. I needed to continue the bluff; I had no other choice.

"I am eighteen now—more than old enough to wed Ishizu. I can prepare the documents you wish to see, if you will allow me the liberty of accessing them myself," I said.

I was digging this hole deeper for myself with each lie I uttered. I still had many months to go before I turned eighteen, and obviously no documents existed for a marriage that had never occurred. But if they bought my bluff, it would give me a chance to contact Mokuba…

"Very well. You will be under constant watch while you—procure the documents," Odion conceded. I could tell from the glint in his eyes that he knew my bluff, and was grabbing the chance to expose my fallacy. A good portion of the clan had surrounded us now, but parted to let me through. They were watching me with wary, yet respectful eyes.

There was the chance I would become their leader, after all.


	54. Chapter 54

I ran, my lungs grateful for the fresh air I was breathing in. After being underground for however long I had been trapped down in the Tomb Keeper Clan's hideout, I felt refreshed to feel the rays of sunlight on me. To be trapped in the shadows for one's entire life—I shuddered at the thought. That would be the surest way for me to lose my sanity, after all.

I could sense the clan members following behind me, their eyes watching my every move. I knew I couldn't outrun them in my condition, and I had no intention of doing so. I paused at a refreshment stand and asked in Arabic to use a phone. If the storekeeper was surprised at my fluency, he made no comment and gestured for money.

Grudgingly, I handed him an Egyptian pound out of the meager allowance Shadi had granted me for the sole purpose of obtaining documents that needed to be forged. As I began to dial, I sighed. What was I doing? Or rather, what was I becoming?

My mind flashed to the pleasure I had felt when Odion lay suffocating in the chamber or when I had almost strangled the woman to death with—with whatever those tendrils were that had originated from the millennium key. True, under Gozaburo I had felt detachment; I had watched as my stepfather destroyed businesses, people's families and their very spirits. But I had never derived any pleasure from them, or any other emotion for that matter.

The sound of the phone ringing broke me from my reverie, and I hoped Mokuba would be on the other line. I didn't trust myself to speak to anyone else at the moment.

"Hello? Kaiba residence," Mokuba said formally. I almost smiled in relief.

"Mokuba, it's me," I said. I heard his audible gasp from the other end.

"Where are you? We've been looking for you for days! Yami went missing, too, so Max went to look for both of you while Kisara and I have been searching for you remotely…" Mokuba said quickly.

"So Pegasus is in Cairo now?" I asked in a low voice.

"Yes. Onii-chan, are you okay?" he asked me.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Look, I need you to do me a favor…" I began, and then proceeded to explain the situation I had landed myself in as briefly as possible.

"Roland is in Cairo. I can get the documents faxed to him…but are you sure you want to do this?" Mokuba asked, "After all, if I give Max your coordinates, he can pick you up…"

"No," I replied firmly, "I came here to defeat Marik and I won't leave until I do. Besides…with Muto…"

"We'll find Yami. Just come home, Seto," Mokuba said in a choked up voice. I closed my eyes and tried not to think of the state Mokuba—and Kisara—had been in when I went missing. And now Muto was missing, too. I should have known that this plan had been flawed from the start. And now Muto was paying for my reckless stupidity as well.

"I'll be home soon, I promise," I said in a soft voice, and then cut the line. I felt a shudder run through my system, and felt the sudden urge to be alone—completely alone. I turned away from the stall and ran straight into the mob of customers at the marketplace. My clothes stood out too much, so I ran into a clothes stall and quickly grabbed a head covering at least. I threw extra pounds at the storekeeper for his silence and ran.

I felt suffocated, exhausted and useless. A combination that was causing my usual migraine to pop up. When I thought I had finally lost the clan members who had been following me, I suddenly felt their presence behind me.

Shit, I thought, frustrated, and put on another burst of speed—when a hand roughly covered my mouth and pulled me aside into an alley. I struggled, but the grip was unusually strong. I spun around to attack my kidnapper and froze in mid-punch.

"Pegasus," I breathed, relaxing as I saw the unmistakable millennium eye glint from underneath the hood.

"The one and only. Jesus, Kaiba boy. You know how to give us one hell of a scare," he said, pulling his hood down. And in an action that shocked me, he leaned his head onto my shoulder and sighed in relief, giving me a half-hug. I immediately stiffened, to which he chuckled.

"Same as ever, huh?" he remarked, stepping back. I did not respond. I had no answer to his question. Was I still the same? Pegasus must have caught the flicker of confusion that passed through my eyes because his smile faded.

"What happened down there?" he asked.

"Later. I don't have time now. You better get out of here and work on finding Muto. I'll be fine here on my own," I responded.

"I'll be damned if I hear you say that you'll do this heroic solo business anymore. Tell me what's going on," he said, his eyes blazing.

I sighed and gave him a brief summary—leaving out my account of being trapped in the dark chamber—and felt irritation spread across my features when he laughed.

"Is there something that is particularly funny in my situation?" I asked icily.

"I knew…you liked Ishizu…but didn't think…you'd get married," he said between bursts of laughter.

"I'm not married to her, you know that," I hissed, "I couldn't think of anything else at the time…"

"The great Kaiba boy out of ideas. I wonder what led you to that," he mused aloud.

"Well then, take me as a witness," he said, "If anyone uses the millennium balance on me, I can lie and it will register it as truth because of my eye."

"The millennium balance?"

"Solomon Muto translated another section of the tablets, and apparently the millennium balance has the ability to weigh an individual's sins—including lying. But the millennium eye can break through its ability, therefore…"

"I'm stuck going with you, huh?"

"That would be correct."

"Then let's go," I said, walking back into the street, where the clan members had formed a ring to prevent my escape. They watched me warily as Pegasus walked beside me.

"He is also the pharaoh's magi. I called him here to serve as my advisor," I explained. They nodded and indicated me to follow them. Pegasus raised an eyebrow at me, but I ignored him and followed them in silence. I needed to find a way to use the Tomb Keeper Clan—and fast—before anything happened to Muto.

Muto, who should've been the safest of us all…


	55. Chapter 55

I'm back! Sorry for the long wait since my last update! I had major writer's block for all of my stories...but going to an anime convention helped cure that ^_^

Thanks for following this story so far and reviews are welcome as usual :)

...

Pegasus followed me silently, surprisingly calm in his movements. I wondered what gave him the confidence to follow me, but I decided I would deal with that later. I needed any act of confidence to fool the Tomb Keeper's Clan. The millennium key was throbbing against my chest almost painfully and it took a great deal of my self-control to keep from unleashing the tendrils around me once more. Sure, it would have been good for intimidation, but I no longer trusted myself.

"Your proof will be arriving shortly?" Odion demanded, his eyes glinting.

I looked down at him with a disdainful expression. Between the real threat that he posed and the constant urgings of the millennium key, I was losing my temper fast.

"We can always question him for the truth," Shadi murmured softly.

"His lie will result in his death," Odion said in a voice that suggested to me that he would be happy with that option.

I resisted looking back to Pegasus, but was silently glad for his company now as Shadi pulled out the millennium balance.

"Do you, Seto Kaiba, swear that Ishizu is your lawfully wedded wife?" Shadi asked in a commanding voice that reminded me so much of Ishizu. The millennium balance glowed in return.

"Yes," I replied curtly, feeling the pressure from the millennium balance.

As the word left my mouth I was suddenly assaulted by a series of false memories—Ishizu in a wedding gown by my side, her eyes glowing with a yearning and a free happiness that I had never seen in them before... another time her olive-colored body entangled in mine…later her eyes fierce with pride as she held a child in her arms—and I stifled the gasp that rose to the surface. What was Pegasus doing to my mind?

The balance stood still, and I watched it with an almost detached curiosity, as if it was not my life on the line. After what seemed like an eternity, Shadi nodded.

"He does not lie," Shadi confirmed. I relaxed imperceptibly.

"We shall see. The betrayer has his tricks, I am sure," Odion replied.

I tried to calm the anger that bubbled to the surface. While they were wasting time to prove my lies, Marik was still on the loose with Ishizu under his control. And the child…

"The intruder's messenger has arrived," a clan member announced.

I spun around to face Roland, my eyes sharp and cold—clear in my message that I meant business now.

"The documents you requested sir," he said.

"Here," I said, handing the documents to Odion without bothering to look at them myself. He snatched them from my hands with the ferocity of a wild animal and glanced through the contents. His frown deepened confirming that my trust in my subordinate had been well placed.

"He is…hers," he managed finally.

A roar erupted through the tunnels—a roar that I realized was a roar of approval. Shadi came towards me and knelt and was followed in suit by the other Tomb Keeper Clan members. I felt a surge of power and allowed a small smile to appear upon my face. I had acquired another asset—another form of power and I reveled in it.

I could see from their faces that they accepted me with a blindness I was unused to. I earned what I had become—but this was different. I was accepted simply because of what I claimed to be. Such blind devotion—was precisely the weapon I needed now.

I turned to see Odion kneeling as well and knew my success was complete. A chanting began, a chanting that echoed within my mind and felt familiar somehow. The echoes of power—the power I had received when I rose up against the man I had sworn to protect. The pharaoh…

"The initiation ceremony will begin," Pegasus muttered in my ear.

I blanched when I realized what it would entail but nodded as if unconcerned.

"I will be immobilized for a bit after. I want you to use the clan in my name to track down Marik," I muttered back to him.

"Of course," he said, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him bow respectfully and then disappear into the crowd of chanting clan members.

I took a deep breath and then nodded to Odion. His gaze was conflicted, but he was as much as my man as any would be. His vows made it such.

He led me into a large chamber with a raised platform of stone. Without prompting, I stripped my shirt off, exposing the back that would contain my seal. I raised my hand to silence the clan members. I felt a tremor of pleasure as they all fell silent at my command.

"You are mine as I am the pharaoh's," I cried out. They repeated the single phrase with a unified roar.

Then in the ensuing silence, Odion pulled a hot metal rod from the flames and held it up for all the clan to see. The chanting began once again as the rod approached me and I willed myself to watch as he brought the rod closer to me.

"Do it," I hissed as his eyes searched me.

And as the rod seared into my skin I howled an inhuman cry. I shuddered as Odion pulled the rod away, grimacing at the smell of my burning flesh.

"He who is worthy of the leader of shadows will endure the flame!" Odion cried out—and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of pity in his eyes.

And the rod burned into my flesh once more. Sweat erupted onto my skin as I tried to keep from crying out; blood seeped from where I had bit my inner cheek. The pain was consuming—more than anything Gozaburo had inflicted upon me. This was pure madness.

My back arched as the next series of burns were placed upon my back and the pain spread through my skin like anger boiling to the surface. Marik—Ishizu—Gozaburo—the three faces revolved in my mind, fusing with the pain I was feeling with the deep sense of betrayal.

I snapped my eyes open in shock. Betrayal? By whom? I did not trust by principle. Pain was a necessary indication that I was alive—that I was strong. That I would endure.

Pain was the reminder of the retribution I would inflict in return.

Pain would become my protector…


	56. Chapter 56

Sorry for the long gap in updates! Med school's been really busy and exhausting, but I don't plan on giving up on this story! Thanks for following and enjoy the next chapter~

...

The bandages were soaked through. I rose to receive another round of healing treatments and bandage replacements. I was dimly aware that I had not contacted Mokuba in days—and part of me seemed not to care. The darkness of the tunnels and the society of the Tomb Keeper Clan seemed to engulf me as I adopted them both as mine.

As the fresh bandages were being replaced, I heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," I commanded and with a slight twist of amusement to my mouth saw the woman I had attacked before bow respectfully.

"Any news," I asked, my voice chillingly sharp. In case she had any illusions that I would offer any leniency.

"W-we are still tracking the whereabouts of Master Marik and Mistress Ishizu..." she began.

"Anything of use to report? And never address Marik with formality again," I snapped. I was pleased to see her shudder visibly before answering.

"T-there are r-rumors, Master Kaiba, of a new power rising among the Rare Hunters…" she began and then looked at me expectantly.

I ran a hand over my face in irritation. If she were a subordinate at Kaiba Corp, I would have fired her already for her inefficiency.

"Continue," I said in a sharp, but soft voice. I hoped she heard my edge of impatience and would report to me without a thousand hesitations.  
>"They say he is a potential threat to Mas…Marik's hold on the Rare Hunters," she finally managed.<p>

"The identity?" I asked, even though I had my suspicions already.

"R-rumors are not always true," she said softly, her eyes shifting uncomfortably.

"Tell me," I spat.

"Ph-pharaoh…" she squeaked before heading out the door. I allowed a broad smile to appear upon my face. So Muto was proceeding as planned.

I pulled my robes over my frame—wincing slightly as some of my wounds opened at the movement. I frowned as I heard a knock on the door once more. I strode over and pulled open the door, only to find Pegasus standing there with what seemed like an urgent request.

I raised my eyebrow at him.

"You're aware of the situation with Yami?" he asked. I nodded and he frowned.

"What the hell are you planning, Kaiba boy?" he spat out, "I've trusted you so far, but none of your moves make sense anymore."

"I know," I replied, trying to ignore the feeling of unease growing in my chest. I had to proceed while keeping Pegasus in the dark.

"Your job is to track down Marik…by any means necessary. Leave the rest to me," I replied. His eyes narrowed and I sensed his fist move before I even saw him move.

I grasped his fist in my hand and held with an iron grip.

"I'm not asking you trust me," I said in a low voice, "I only need you to do what must be done."

Pegasus pulled back his hand and gave me a look filled with anger.

"Don't forget who you really are down here," he managed after a moment's tense silence.

I watched him in silence as he turned away.

"Who I really was, huh?" I muttered—and then laughed. A harsh laugh that seared at the back of my throat.

I was Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corporations. I was Mokuba's older brother. I was the magi of the pharaoh. I was said pharaoh's betrayer. I was the leader of the Tomb Keeper Clan. I was the wielder of the millennium key. I was…the monster that Gozaburo had made me into.

I was nothing at all.

With a sigh, I headed out of the room into the main chamber—my throne room of sorts. I had almost snorted out of amusement at how medieval the set up seemed the first time I had laid eyes upon it—except it had been nothing to my initiation ceremony.

"Master Kaiba," Shadi said reverently as I sat upon the ugly excuse for a chair that served as the seat of the leader, "I have bad tidings for you."

"Speak," I commanded.

"We have located Mistress Ishizu," he said softly. I rose to my feet.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"She has forbidden me to tell you," he replied. He looked at me apologetically.

"She is mine, as you are. Her order is nothing compared to mine. Tell me where she is," I hissed.

"She promised me that she will come to you once the time is right," Shadi replied.

I clenched my fists. Even with the entire clan behind me, she was still playing hide-and-seek with me.

"Did she relay any other message?" I asked.

"She has asked that you leave Cairo," Shadi replied softly.

My mouth twisted at the message. Was her trust in me that shallow? No…I would not trust any message from her, not when the last time I had seen her she had the hollow eyes of the controlled.

"Come here," I commanded, and Shadi glided towards me as if he knew what I was about to do.

I pulled out the millennium key and placed it to his forehead and felt the familiar pull of entering another's mental domain. The stretch caused my wounds to sting—my external and internal wounds—and I gritted my teeth to maintain focus.

I felt the familiar inundation of memories, and then some. The wealth of memories that lay within Shadi's memories far exceeded even the pharaoh's, for he had been awake and taking in the world during the time the pharaoh had been asleep in his darkness.

I felt myself being sucked into his memories, washing over me like floods of knowledge, and I had a desire to stay and learn. But I could not linger. That treacherous snake's truth was hidden somewhere here, and I would find it.

Frustration began to fill my veins as memory after memory turned up nothing. It was then I understood and removed myself from his mind.

"You never spoke with her," I concluded.

Shadi bowed his head in defeat.

"Everything you have been doing until now are the result of orders given to you in the past. Scenarios she prepared for ahead of time," I mused aloud.

A smile crossed my face then and I nodded to him to leave me. He bowed and left, his eyes betraying his knowledge of my understanding.

"I'll leave you to your games, Ishizu, while I continue to play mine," I whispered to the empty room.


	57. Chapter 57

He was here. A little late compared to the schedule we had set, but now all of us couldn't have Ishizu's clairvoyance, now could we? I felt a shiver run down my spine in anticipation. All the hiccups we had had so far were merely to lead to this. To set up the perfect trap for my enemy.

"Yami is coming," Pegasus announced to me for what seemed liked the thousandth time.

"Yes, I am aware of that," I snapped. It was important that I remained calm for this façade to work. I did not trust in Muto's ability to act. For that matter, I had disliked this plan of mine at the beginning because of the others' lack of ability. Perceived lack, I rather hoped than believed.

After several moments of silence, I decided it was time.

"Send a host to greet our cousins in the Rare Hunters. See to it they receive _every_ hospitality of the Tomb Keeper Clan," I commanded.

For once they moved together, for once they displayed efficiency, and for once they obeyed me without question.

"You're not going to greet him yourself?" Pegasus asked.

His nagging was beginning to bore me but I contained my impatience with him for the moment.

"It would suggest equality in power if I went to greet him—or even that his power surpassed mine," I calmly explained.

"Power!" he spat back incredulously, "He is your pharaoh, and by the gods, he's your friend who has been lost all this time! I thought you had changed, Kaiba boy."

I had no answer for him. For I had changed, but not in any way he had expected. Nor I had expected for that matter. I pushed the thought out of my mind and stared straight ahead. If the Tomb Keeper Clan were true to their ways, the pharaoh's 'men' would come weakened to my feet, although they would never harm the pharaoh.

Minutes passed into hours. How many men had Muto brought back with him that it was taking this long to weaken them? Had he dared to deviate from the plan?

When the throne room doors burst open, I felt rather than saw Pegasus shudder beside me. And I did not blame him for once that day. I drank in the sight before us and unbidden, felt a wicked smile creep onto my face.

I was enjoying this game far too much—as was the millennium key around my neck. As soon as it sensed the millennium puzzle in the room, it began to thrum even more. Its warmth and anticipation was mirroring my own—or perhaps amplifying it.

But it was his eyes that caused me to shiver the most. Glowing eyes, tinged with the craze that I had been keeping at bay. My mirror, my shadow, my twin.

"Welcome, Pharaoh Yami, leader of the Rare Hunters," I greeted him.

"The hospitality of the Tomb Keeper Clan has changed from when I last remember it," he replied, shadows dancing in the depths of his eyes.

"Five thousand years changes much, pharaoh," I replied, resisting the urge to sneer.

Oh gods, this was too much fun. There only needed to be one more piece and the stage would be set.

"I have a gift for you, my dear pharaoh," I said, gesturing to my right. I could feel Pegasus' eyes on me, but I did not waver.

"Oh? Let us see," Muto answered, his voice full of suspicion.

"Yami, Seto, Max…oh please stop this and let me out!" a voice cried out in desperation.

Yami's eyes blazed in anger and I knew I had crossed the line. A surprise that only I was aware of. The perfect instigator.

Kisara was in chains inside the perfect little cage I had made for her from my magic. The looks of confusion she threw in my direction mixed with the horror from Pegasus' made me confident that my plan would be a success.

"A hostage," the pharaoh declared and gestured to his men, who brought forth a struggling boy from the depths of their ranks. A short, black-haired boy who knew well the role of the kidnapped.

"Mokuba," I breathed, the rest of my voice catching in my throat. I rose from my chair with fists clenched. Even as a ploy, no one was allowed to put his or her hands on Mokuba. He had seen too much danger as it was. I would not allow it. Could not allow it.

"Have you both lost your senses!" Pegasus roared, but a quick flick of my hand lead to his silencing.

"It seems we each have something the other wants," I remarked, trying to keep my voice even and calm.

"So it would seem," Muto responded.

"The solution to this is simple," I began, carefully observing Muto's facial and bodily reactions to my words. The tensing of his muscles. The tightening of his lips.

"I won't let you get away with this," he hissed.

"Then there is only one thing to do—if you have the courage to face me," I taunted.

"A duel. A true shadow game," Muto replied, on cue.

I smirked as he fell right into place like a puppet on a string. But there was an edge to this game I had not anticipated. An edge—a thrill. I felt the urge to destroy and grasp all the power at my fingertips. To use the power to…

My gaze caught Mokuba's and in his eyes I saw what I could only describe as a monster. The trembling in my body was uncontrollable then. The fear I engendered from the sight of myself. But I also the craved the danger. The more I remained in the shadows, the more I sought for them, as if they were a never-ending addiction. The protector I needed to be, but of what? Of whom? And who was going to protect me from my own demons?

No. This was good for now, I decided, rising to my feet.

"A shadow game it is," I declared.


End file.
